Psychosis?? PLEASE help!!!?!

Psychosis?? PLEASE help!!!?

I'm schizophrenic and have been for awhile now. It's calmed down a bit, but lately I've been hearing voices and seeing things that aren't there. I know this is a part of schizophrenia, but I've heard that this could be psychosis, too. Which is it??

The short answer is that Schizophrenia is one of several kinds of Psychotic Disorders.

Here's the longer answer:
Psychosis is a broad category that describes a level of severity in which a person loses touch with reality or exhibits extreme impairment in functioning. The term is usually used to distinguish severe symptoms from those that are considered milder, like Neurosis (another broad category).

Schizophrenia is a particular group of disorders (there are several types of Schizophrenia which are classified according to their predominant symptoms) which are classified under the broad heading of psychosis along with other such disorders (Schizoaffective Disorder, Delusional Disorder, etc.). The psychotic disorders are distinguished from neurotic disorders like Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder, etc.

Psychotic symptoms generally require medication and are considered less "psychologically" driven as they tend to have a more biochemical component, hence the need for medication. Neurotic symptoms were once believed to stem from psychological "inner conflicts", however this is an old categorization and tends to be less than accurate as we learn more and more about the role of neurochemistry and psychological symptoms.

Hope that helps to clarify the use of the terminology for you, but in truth the main thing is that you recognize your symptoms and realize that you need to see your psychiatrist for a med adjustment before they become more severe. Best of luck to you-take care!