Anxiety Psychosis: Unraveling Connections, Overlaps, and Distinctions
Anxiety and psychosis might share some common grounds, especially in severe or persistent cases. Research hints that prolonged anxiety during childhood or adolescence could potentially lead to psychosis due to stress hormone activation and inflammation. However, it's important to note that not everyone diagnosed with anxiety will develop psychosis.
Anxiety originates from anticipating threats. Symptoms may include cognitive ones like confusion, fear of losing control, poor concentration, physiological ones like increased heart rate, palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain, among others.
On the flip side, psychosis affects an individual's perception of reality. Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, disrupted emotions, anxiety, and lack of motivation. In some cases, psychosis can be related to mental health disorders or other medical conditions.
There seems to be a connection between severe anxiety and triggering psychotic episodes. Research is ongoing to shed light on the relationship between the two, which can help healthcare professionals better tackle these cases.
Persistent anxiety may manifest as symptoms like trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and a sense of impending danger or panic. These symptoms overlap with those of psychosis, albeit not to the same extent. Anxiety, however, usually doesn't cause a noticeable break in reality the way psychosis does.
Both anxiety and psychosis can arise from psychological factors, medical conditions, medications, or past traumas. Mental health disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder could trigger psychosis, while physical health issues like HIV, strokes, or brain injuries could cause it as well. Trauma or substance misuse can also play a role in the development of psychosis.
Treating anxiety and psychosis involves a combination of medications and therapy. Anxiety treatments might involve psychotherapy like CBT and medications like SSRIs or SNRIs. Psychosis treatment may incorporate antipsychotic medications, benzodiazepines, or CBT to address underlying issues and develop coping mechanisms. Support is available through charities, local support groups, early intervention teams, and community services.
The connection between mental health and anxiety is significant, as prolonged periods of anxiety during childhood or adolescence could potentially contribute to mental health issues like psychosis due to stress hormone activation and inflammation. Moreover, persistent anxiety symptoms like trouble sleeping and a sense of impending danger can sometimes overlap with those of psychosis, although the latter often involves a more noticeable break in reality.
