Happiful June 2020

But with treatment (medications,
and sometimes talking therapies)
people with psychosis aren’t to
be feared. We are just everyday
people, trying our hardest to fit into
the world around us. Many people
with psychosis have jobs, families,
homes, and pets.
Psychosis is a part of my schizoaffective
disorder, and I’ve
experienced episodes of psychosis
three times over several months,
during the course of two decades. I
can still manage to work part-time as
a journalist and guest lecturer, with
my own home, and I’m mum to two
adorable cats.
Psychosis isn’t something that’s
held me back in my life, and I have a
clean Disclosure and Barring Service
(DBS) record. But other people’s
views and fears of psychosis persist.
Here are eight common myths that I
still battle with every day.
1 People with psychosis are
dangerous or evil
Whether it’s a thriller titled Psycho,
or Batman’s jibe to the Joker in The
Dark Knight Rises (he says: “You’re
just a schizophrenic clown”), there’s
a myth perpetuated by Hollywood
that people with psychosis are
evil, axe-welding maniacs. But
despite fears, we now know
people with psychosis are more
likely to be victims of violence
than perpetrators, and only a tiny
minority who experience severe
hallucinations and delusional
beliefs will go on to act on them,
and occasionally cause harm to
themselves or others.
2 It means you have multiple
personalities
There’s a really unhelpful myth that
people with psychosis are like Jekyll
We are just everyday
people, trying our
hardest to fit into the
world around us
and Hyde – psychosis meaning
‘out of touch with reality’ has
caused a lot of confusion. People
with psychosis do sometimes
experience delusions and
hallucinations, but they do not
have multiple personalities. That
condition is known as dissociative
identity disorder.
3 People with psychosis are
all the same
Psychosis isn’t a one-size-fits-all
illness. Many people experiencing
psychosis will see visions or hear
voices that others don’t. However
this isn’t the case for everybody.
Some people with psychosis, like
myself, only experience ‘delusions’
– mine is that I’m Britain’s most
wanted criminal. Other people
with psychosis will have tactile
hallucinations, such as the feeling
that insects are crawling over
them. However the symptoms
present themselves, they are very
often terrifying for the person with
them, and very hard to live with.
4 People with psychosis
look dishevelled
I’ve lost track of the amount of
people who’ve met me in person
and commented: “You don’t look
like someone with psychosis.”
Yes, during a crisis, self-care can
be neglected, and I may be too
anxious to wash my hair or put on
makeup. But crises are rare once >>>
June 2020 • happiful.com • 33