The Sad and Unnecessary Stigma of Psychotic Symptoms and Their Causes

   Psychosis as a medical symptom carries with it the heavy stigma of "mental illness," which can earn a patient the long-term label of a mental illness on their medical record and mandatory hospitalization. Nevertheless, there are a variety of medical conditions for which psychosis is a symptom, and the majority are not mental illnesses. Technically therefore, psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) can happen to anybody as a result of a physical malady- many are easily detected and treated.  Psychosis can happen as a temporary symptom and be misdiagnosed with a long-term label, and this does happen. I must preface this by saying that this post in no way constitutes medical advice.
   According to Medline Plus (a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine) the following are a list of medical problems and diseases that can cause psychosis (schizophrenia-type symptoms)-

"A number of medical problems can cause psychosis, including:

• Alcohol and certain illegal drugs, both during use and during withdrawal
• Brain diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and certain chromosomal disorders
• Brain tumors or cysts
• Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease)
• HIV and other infections that affect the brain
• Some prescription drugs, such as steroids and stimulants
• Some types of epilepsy
• Stroke

Psychosis (or psychotic symptoms) may also be found in:

• Most people with schizophrenia
• Some people with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive) or severe depression
• Some personality disorders

Symptoms:

• Disorganized thought and speech
• False beliefs that are not based in reality (delusions), especially unfounded fear or suspicion
• Hearing, seeing, or feeling things that are not there (hallucinations)
• Thoughts that "jump" between unrelated topics (disordered thinking)

endquote

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001553.htm

   It is my point of view that the practice of labeling patients with a long-term mental illness upon the discovery of psychosis is for the purpose of selling more prescription drugs- or the protocols and procedures are set up for the pharmaceutical companies to really profit. Never are mental health patients allowed to be considered as "healed," and this would appear to be because the entire psychiatric enterprise wanders in the murky grey as to what really causes the things they have called illnesses.  Yet does the Lord heal or not? I believe in a God who actually heals- he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow ("For I, The Lord, do not change..." Malachi 3:6;  "...for I, The Lord, am your healer" Exodus 15:26). It is sad when patients experiencing temporary psychotic symptoms receive a long-term label just because drug companies want to profit. Then they are made to carry the label for the rest of their life and it carries with it a heavy stigma.