Psychosis

In this webinar, Colleen will explain those unusual thoughts and perceptions, such as hallucinations and delusions, and highlight them with stories from people who live with psychosis. 

We will look at both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This will show why schizophrenia is likely to have such a high impact on people with the disorder and those that love and care about them.
CPD HOURS: 1
Registration Year 2024-2025

Course Content

I have spent most of my life in the company of psychotic people. It began with relatives who returned from WW2, whose lives were never normal again, who could never sleep until in an alcohol-induced slumber and would forever share their daylight hours with ghosts. Their stories, when they were told to me, held me spellbound. I couldn't see their ghosts, but I could see their pain.

The 1970s were remarkable for the array of recreational, reality-challenging drugs available. Gardens were raided, and potions of variable potency produced. Anything that produced a change in reality perception was tried, and most people survived their dally into psychosis.

And then, I became a psychiatric nurse, and my journey with people experiencing psychoses continued for a further forty years. The word psychosis can be much maligned. Words like crazy and split personality spring to mind. Sometimes those words speak to fear and anxiety, and sometimes they are just wrong.

For some people, psychosis is an occasional state to be in and, for others, a more persistent way of experiencing the world. For many, living with psychosis will require enormous strength and determination to inhabit a world where everyone is expecting you to perceive the world in ways that are not the same as yours.

In this webinar, I will explain those unusual thoughts and perceptions, such as hallucinations and delusions, and highlight them with stories from people who live with psychosis. We will look at both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This will show why schizophrenia is likely to have such a high impact on people with the disorder and those that love and care about them.

We will also review the treatments available and the excellent nurse navigation required to assist people to maintain best possible health.

Learning Outcomes

In this session you will:

  • Become aware of the difference between the less clinically useful terms associated with psychosis and those which more adequately describe what is happening for the person.
  • You will gain an overview of the treatment available to persons with a psychotic disorder, especially schizophrenia and the nurses' role in monitoring for medication induced syndromes.
  • You will understand why this condition has the potential to distress and stress many people - friends, family and clinicians.
  • Gain an Understanding of the effort required by persons with a psychotic disorder, especially schizophrenia, to manage their future.

Colleen Reid

In 1974 Colleen thought she would become a nurse for a little while. Forty five years later she retired from nursing remains engaged and interested in the nursing profession and continues her work in nursing education.