Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition 

Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition is a form of psychosis, a serious mental illness. Today, we’ll discuss what is psychotic disorder due to another medical condition; its symptoms, causes, and treatment.

What is Psychotic Disorder Due to another Medial Condition? 

Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition is when a person exhibits the signs of psychosis along with chronic illness or transient. The condition exhibits various types of symptoms ranging from traumatic brain injury, stroke, and migraine headache. However, genetically predisposed people toward psychotic disorder are vulnerable to developing this condition; especially when they’re going through a medical event.

The diagnosis of psychotic disorder due to another medical condition is not when the symptoms occur relevant to the withdrawal of substance or in the course of a delirium. The symptoms of the condition are intense and persistent in the short term until the resolution of the co-occurring condition. However, the DSM-5 has categorized this condition as a substance-induced psychotic disorder.

Symptoms

Some of the main symptoms of psychotic disorder due to another medical condition are as follows;

  • Signs of medical condition don’t have any association with mental illness that would cause psychosis-like schizophrenia spectrum disorder
  • Disorganized thought pattern and speech
  • Delusion
  • Hallucination is like hearing and seeing things that aren’t there

Its symptoms could be persistent, long-term, or brief depending on the resolution of the associated medical condition.

Psychotic Episode Feels Like

People with psychosis would experience hallucinations. Hallucination is a state in which a person sees people and objects that aren’t there, or they would see people and objects in a distorted form. It can also be in the auditory form like hearing things that aren’t there. The psychosis episode comprises strong physical feelings on the body without any cause or explanation.

The other element of psychosis is experiencing delusions; they could be mental or sensory. It comprises feelings that extraterrestrial forces are controlling your mind and body. Those extraterrestrial forces could be anything, and usually, people with psychosis describe it as God.

The manifestation of delusions is in the form of having strong beliefs that you have some sort of supernatural powers. The belief could be like any ordinary thing in the world and has a secret and hidden meaning.

Atypical Psychotic Thoughts

Psychotic thoughts are different among different people, and the atypical thoughts shouldn’t be the only thoughts that the person should experience. There are some ideas about experiencing the psychotic delusions like;

  • External forces are controlling your thoughts
  • Comments and songs have got secrete messages
  • Supernatural capabilities
  • Cameras are watching you
  • Beliefs that others are following you

Causes 

Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition happens because of the changes in the functionality of the brain relevant to the primary medical condition. The condition comprises of following;

  • Thyroid disease
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • epilepsy
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Brain tumor
  • Migraine headache
  • Stroke
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Visual and auditory nerve-damaged
  • Cerebrovascular disease
  • Central nervous system infection
  • Huntington disease

Roundabout 7% of the people with the epileptic condition would experience an episode of psychosis. The psychotic episode would happen at one incidence and come and go depending on the medical condition.

Researchers of medical say that people with psychotic disorders due to another medical condition would have autoimmune and inflammatory disorders in the background. They play a significant role in the development of the condition relevant to the medical condition and psychosis.

Genetic

The question is whether psychotic disorder due to another medical condition has got association with genetics or with a medical condition. An autoimmune disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy have got a genetic element in their development. Environmental conditions, diet, and viral infections would also cause the development of autoimmune disorders.

Separate conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia would cause to develop psychosis episodes; they don’t have any connection with psychotic disorder due to another medical condition.

Treatment 

The treatment plan for psychosis episodes depends on the nature of the episode and other triggering conditions. Often when you treat the primary medical condition, it would reemit the psychosis symptoms. Sometimes, the psychosis symptom would keep on occurring long after the resolution of the medical condition. If the residual signs are disturbing the functions of your daily routine life, then you would require further treatment.

Doctors usually prescribe antipsychotic medications to treat the symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.

In short, we can say that the treatment plan is reliant on the treatment of the medical condition that is causing to development of psychosis. If the underlying medical condition is treatable, then the psychosis episodes would go away by treating the medical condition. However, if psychosis episodes have become recurrent and the original condition has been recurrent, then your doctor would suggest the following;

  • Antipsychotics and antidepressants for psychosis
  • Benzodiazepine to calm down the person

Conclusion: Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

After an in-depth study of psychotic disorder due to another medical condition; its symptoms, causes, and treatment; we have realized that the condition could badly impact your life. If you’re experiencing its symptoms, then you should discuss it with your doctor and work on the treatment plan.