A psychotic disorder is a severe medical illness that disturbs the way a person acts, thinks, see, hears or feels, and makes it difficult or impossible for him/her to distinguish between what is real and not.  Bipolar Disorder can have psychotic features.  Symptoms of psychosis may be either positive (something "added to" the person with the illness) ie something that is not always present or negative symptoms (something taken away or missing from the person when well)

Positive Symptoms

Delusions:  False personal beliefs that are not a part of the persons culture.

	the person truly believes something that doesn't make sense to others around them
	reasoning with the person and showing them evidence that contradicts their belief doesn't convince them their belief is false.
	Typical examples include beliefs they are being plotted against, harmed or tormented
	Delusions are quite common in psychotic disorders

Hallucinations:  Sensing things that aren't really there

	These include hearing, seeing, smelling tasting or touching things that others don't perceive.
	The most common hallucination ids hearing voices that talk about the person, criticize them or tell them what they must do.

Disorganized Thinking:  Being  unable to "think straight"

	Organizing thoughts is difficult, making it impossible to communicate clearly with others.
	Unable to concentrate on one though for long.
	Thoughts are often blocked and fragmented.

Agitation or Excitement:  Appearing very excited, restless or hu\yperactive.

Grandiosity:  Believing they are powerful, very wealthy or have special powers

Suspiciousness:  Being mistrusting and guarded

might think they are being watched or followed

Hostility:  Behaving in an abusive, sarcastic and uncooperative manner

Negative Symptoms

Lack of Drive or Initiative:  Lack of energy to start or do anything - even simple tasks

Social Withdrawal:  Absorbed in own thoughts and senses

spend most of time alone

Emotional Unresponsiveness:  Absence of feeling.

	may feel less connected emotionally to what is going around them
	may show inappropriate motions
	may appear less emotionally responsive to their surroundings
	may feel very little pleasure in doing things that are normally pleasurable

Lack of Spontaneity:  Hesitancy in speech or actions

movements may seem unnatural and slow

Difficulty in Abstract Thinking:  Concrete Thinking

	can't see the underlying meaning of things
	can't move from the specific to the general

Poor Communication Skills:  Avoids eye contact and conversation.

in conversation may appear bored, uninterested or cold.

Stereotyped thinking:  Rigid attitudes and beliefs that may seem unreasonable to others

thoughts may be repetitive and intrusive

Physical Symptoms:  Physical activity may slow down or stop

may be unconcerned with grooming and hygiene.

How Psychotic Symptoms are Treated

Depending on severity some psychotic disorders must be treated in hospital.  Some people may recover completely from a psychotic disorder.  Others may experience recurrent episodes.  The mainstay of treatment is medication, although therapy and rehabilitation may be required in addition.

Medications:

Medication used to treat psychoses is called antipsychotic or neuroleptics (another less common term is major tranquilizers)  The older, or typical antipsychotics block dopamine in the brain and can cause some severe side effects like spasms and tardive dyskinesia.  The newer atypical antipsychotics achieve the same results with fewer of less severe side effects.  Risperdal is one such atypical antipsychotic - zyprexa is another.  The medication must often be taken over the long term not as a cure, but as a control of the psychotic symptoms.