Organic psychosis

Definition and causes

An organic psychosis is an organic (ie physical) disease, which causes mental illness. It can either be a disease of the brain (eg embolism, infection, tumor or trauma), or a more systemic disease in the body, which indirectly affects the brain. Abuse in the form of alcohol, pills or drugs can also trigger an organic psychosis.

By an organic psychosis is a psychosis, which is triggered by another illness as above, and therefore can not be considered a mental illness in themselves. Psyk Osen often disappear when the trigger treated.

We really do not use the term psychosis more, but the more descriptive words psychosis (the same as being insane). Being psychotic means that you have lost the ability to test reality reality, and therefore has a view of this, which is not shared by other healthy people with similar cultural backgrounds. Is a person psychosis, the changing reality can not be corrected, ie. the person may not have to be convinced that he sees, hear or do not have

Several other diseases such as. schizophrenia and bipolar disease are also characterized by that could trigger psychotic episodes. This is not because an organic cause, and therefore not under this category. See links in these diseases for more information.

A chronic form of organic psycho syndrome, which can lead to psychotic episodes, the disease dementia. For more information about this disease in general, see the article dementia.

Symptoms of organic psychosis

Sudden organic psychosis is also called acute organic psycho syndrome, or acute delirium. This is a condition in which there occurs:

Deterioration of short-term memory.
Disorientation (person do not know who and where, he is).
Amended activity pattern (increased or decreased activity).
Disturbed sleep patterns.

The duration of the condition is usually hours, days or weeks. During this occurs often anxiety and hallucinations (see more below the article on schizophrenia), and the person may be difficult to control.

The situation can cause a life-threatening condition if not immediately treated at the hospital when the patient fatigue and the circuit may be overloaded.

Precautions and diagnosis

Seeing that an acquaintance change of mind and is marked by some of the above symptoms should immediately try to persuade him to go to a doctor. Are the symptoms very difficult, it may be necessary to engage with the patient forced to avoid a life-threatening condition develops.

Treatment of organic psychosis

Consideration of an organic psychosis is to provide reassurance about the patient, providing liquid supplements, as well as provide antipsychotic and sedate. The most important thing is to get the person to sleep.

Is there a simultaneous basis for the condition can be triggered by an abuse that must also be given medicine to the symptoms and vitamin supplements. This is very important to avoid Wernicke / korsakoffs disease. See below article on alcohol.

Select and complications

Organic psychosis is a symptom of another illness, which must be straightened out and treated. As a rule, the operative cause treated, and the person will return to normal mental state. Untreated can psyk Osen develop into dementia, or the so-called amnestiske syndrome.

The latter is particularly short-term memory greatly affected and affects a person's daily life much. The person will take on things and stories to cover the gaps in memory (konfabulering) and develop dementia.