what does physchotic mean anyway

what does it mean in layman terms, can you be mildly physhcotic?

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes of course like anything else. Before I recovered I would know things were not going well. I would not of course know the specifics. I would then speak to my psychiatrist. But if someone is completely psychotic they lose track of reality completely. As well a person's awareness they that have a psychiatric disability can be completely lost. I did once before I recovered stop medication and of course have to sign myself into the psychiatric hospital. But I remembered that experience and never did that again. And even when I was completely off medication I always knew I had schizoaffective disorder and there are some people who are on a full dose of medication and do not know that they need it or what its for. During a full psychotic break a person's reality testing is lost. During milder episodes of psychosis, some ability to understand the perception of the real world can disappear and depending on what is going on a person can also be paranoid. There are many degrees of psychosis and how it manifests itself but only a psychiatrist could explain the specifics as to each person.

[hell1971]

Do you think that suddenly thinking during one of my mood swings that I am going to die of cancer or some other illness is paranoia also during the swing I think I see stuff like a peice of fluff is a spider or a shadow in the corner of my eye then I turn and its not there is mild pychosis, when im in a normal mood swing I see its radiculous but at the time it feels so real. Im also paranoid that my doctor is going to put me into hospital. I am having several mood swing per day and its driving me crazy cos I think im doing to myself and why dont I just stop it but its going round and round in my mind, im not getting to sleep until the early hours and my mind just wont stop during this time. Help

[ILADVOCATE]

Bipolar with psychotic features of course is one specific diagnosis. Those thoughts do sound psychotic but only a psychiatrist would know for sure but you should inform them. Instead of being afraid that your psychiatrist will put you in the hospital think how what you are going through is affecting your life. At some times going to the hospital voluntarily can be the right decision. But if you have any concerns about psychosis or loss of judgment or any other similar issues let your psychiatrist know right away.

[hell1971]

Maybe I just dont have bipolar and I am doing this all too myself, none of the med combos I have tried over the last year have helped so maybe that means Im not bipolar and my doctors have got it wrong and its something else causing it all like a tumor or something.

[ILADVOCATE]

It often takes a while to find the right combination of medications that will work. There are an increasing number of available options. Work closely with your psychiatrist and eventually you will find the right one but make sure to describe exactly what is going on so they know best how to treat you.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Going to attempt to describe it in layman's terms because it sounds like a fun thing to try.  Psychosis is a symptom of over 120 diseases/disorders.  Psychosis like ILADVOCATE said causes you to lose touch with reality, it can cause you to start believeing bizarre things, thinking in a bizarre way, behaving in a bizarre way, and hearing/seeing/tasting/smelling/feeling things not there or things that are there incorrectly, and it can also cause different severities of paranoia where you suspect everyone or possibly everything of things without any evidence to do so.  Bipolar disorder can cause psychosis during severe mood episodes.

Some people with bipolar disorder have taken years to find the right med combo for it.