Psychosis

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Psychosis is an extreme mental disorder where a person is disconnected from reality, which results in disrupted thinking.  The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that over 100,000 young people experience psychosis annually. Psychosis may occur because of a psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia and occurs in episodes known as psychotic episodes. Psychosis can also be triggered by a health condition or substance abuse.  Childhood psychosis is rare, however, psychiatric illnesses in children and youth have increased and are usually accompanied by other mental health challenges such as depression and bipolar disorder.  Some of the early signs of psychosis include believing things that others don’t exist, trouble thinking clearly, withdrawal from family, decline in hygiene, hearing voices, and more. It is believed that psychosis is triggered by trauma, substance use, brain injury, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder.  Early intervention is critical and shows the best outcome. This section has a variety of resources that will help you better understand psychosis.

Books

• Life After Psychosis: A Self Help Guide to Getting Your Life Back on Track After Enduring Psychosis by Peter Melnyk
• The First Episode of Psychosis: A Guide for Young People and Their Families, Revised and Updated Edition by Beth Broussard and Michael T. Compton
• Psychotic by Jacques Mathis
• The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia: Helping Your Loved One Get the Most Out of Life by Kim T. Mueser
• Picking Up The Broken Pieces: My Journey Through Psychosis, Depression and Anxiety, by Arielle bradberry
• Surviving Schizophrenia, 7th Edition: A Family Manual by E. Fuller Torrey

Articles

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL

• Supporting Students Experiencing Early Psychosis in Middle School and High School, Jason Schiffman, Ph.D., Sharon A. Hoover, Ph.d., Caroline Romer, M.Sc., Samantha Redman, M.A., and Jeff Q Bostic, M.D., Ed.D.
• Watching for Signs of Psychosis in Teens, Child Mind Institute
• Psychotic Depression, Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD
• Quick Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Child Mind Institute
• Psychosis (Schizophrenia) In Children And Youth, Mental Health America

COLLEGE

• Psychosis: Uncovering a Condition Found in 1 in 15 College Students, Bryan Health
• Psychosis (young people) Being in School, College and University with Psychosis, Healthtalk.org
• The Association Between Sleep Dysfunction and Psychosis-like Experiences Among College Students, National
• Psychosis and Academic Performance, Library of Medicine

Videos

• What is Psychosis? (2:29 seconds)
• In My Mind: Living with Psychosis (23:36 minutes)
• The Cause of Psychosis presenter Dr. Kwame McKenzie | (59.33 minutes)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These resource links are being provided for informational purposes only. The North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Please contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.