Psychosis

In today's society, psychical suffering manifests itself in the form of depression. Depression is one of the most common medically treated diseases. When hearing the symptoms of the patients' doctors immediately hand out depression medication like candy, but the patient is not always depressed. There may be something deeper (Roudinesco 2001).

Psychosis is a mental disease characterized by a loss of touch with reality. With psychosis there may become a feeling of darkness; gloomy, dreary, and glowing. One may feel delusional or have hallucinations. Suicide is possible as well with psychosis. But with psychosis there are a lot of powerful medications. If one is having symptoms of psychosis and it is correctly diagnosed by a doctor medications are always administered.

"Since 1950 chemical substances- or psychotropic drugs - have changed the landscape of madness. They have emptied the mental hospitals and replaced straitjackets and shock treatment with the soft wrapping of medications" (Roudinesco 10). Psychotropic drugs are classified into three different groups; psycholeptics, psychoanaleptics, and psychodysleptics. Psycholeptics are hypnotic or barbiturate drugs that treat sleep difficulties such as insomnia. Low doses have a relaxation and euphoric effect which are similar to the intoxication of alcohol. Higher doses of psycholeptics induce sleep. They also suppress the signs of distress, anxiety, phobia, and antipsychotics. Psychoanaleptics bring together stimulants and antidepressants. Psychodysleptics are hallucinogenic medications, narcotics, and mood controlling drugs. (Roudinesco 2001)

With the administering of medication there are always side effects. Sedative-hypnotic and barbiturate drugs have a low margin of safety. High doses of the drug will in fact shut down the medulla. Some other problems or side effects from taking the drug are that they produce physical withdrawal and the body also builds up a tolerance of the drug. Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous. One may feel nauseous, have convulsions, may be confused or have hallucination, have a fever, and also a rapid heart beat. There is a high risk of overdose especially in conjunction with alcohol (Roudinesco 2001).

When administering typical and atypical antipsychotics there are also some nasty side effects. Typical antipsychotics such as Thorazine and Haldol have no euphoric effect. They have minimal potential for abuse but the side effects can be dangerous. Side effects consist of dry mouth, blurred vision, dizziness, and Parkinsonian symptoms. Fifteen to twenty percent of patients taking typical antipsychotics will develop Tardive Diskinesia. Tardive Diskinesia is a permanent and severe disease that causes rigid movements, tics, rocking and spastic walking. Removal of the drug does not remove the symptoms. Atypical antipsychotics such as Clozapine also have some side effects as well but not nearly as bad as the typical antipsychotics. Patients taking Clozapine need to have a blood test every week. This is because when taking Clozapine one of the side effects is agranulocytosis, which is a low white blood cell disorder (Roudinesco 2001).

In the stories read for the psychosis and darkness section of the syllabus, both Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis demonstrate signs and symbols of psychotic diseases.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a story