For those unfamiliar with psychosis and psychotic illness it causes immense distress — confusion — isolation — disruption to everyday living — symptoms that are life-inhibiting.
The Canadian Mental Health Organisation offer a comprehensive guide for both patients and their support people to manage psychosis and psychotic illness from home.
Periods of confusion, cognitive function issues, sleep disturbance and fatigue. Spells of hallucinations and delusions — seeing, hearing, feeling and smelling things that aren’t real— a cause of fear, terror and panic. Sensitivity to noise, light and textures can make days unbearable.
Motivation can vanish — medication can offer relief — however it can also cause side effects. Many psychosis patients experience suicidal thoughts and or self-harm.
The toolkit is a potential lifesaver. Showing how a combination of therapies, medication, clear goal setting and support from those around is essential to good management and the avoidance of hospitalisation.
It explores these key areas:
What is psychosis
What can you do about Psychosis
Taking care of your health
Managing stress
Solving problems
Setting goals and moving forward
Understanding cognition
Connecting with other people
Preventing relapse
Dealing with symptoms
Section for supporting people
There are numerous worksheets to utilise at each stage that accompany the in-depth explanations that are set out in an easy-to-follow way. The pages cleverly utilise colour, spacing and writing styles to aid understanding — comprehension — repetitive reading and engaging the reader — whether that’s the person with psychosis or a support person.
The only daunting aspect is the 115-page layout. However, it immediately informs you that not every page will be relevant. Making this a programme that can be made unique — specific to the symptoms experienced — the outcome desired.
As a patient myself not only is this booklet incredible in terms of its explanation — but its detail — the content is just right. Not too complex and not patronising — supportive — encouraging — accessible and brilliant to work on whilst waiting for medical interventions.
If you are struggling and have no direct mental health link then dial 111 and choose option 2 for crisis support.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Toolkit: https://www.earlypsychosis.ca/managing-symptoms-at-home/
