Introduction – What has become more evident in recent times, is the importance of having a good mental health. The idea of a good mental health is subjective but unfortunately 1 in 8 people around the world suffer from a mental illness, which prevents them from reaching their ideal mental health. There are many different types of mental illnesses, so it is important that we all have a basic understanding of what these mental illnesses are and how we can identify them. With this knowledge, you can look out for others  who may be suffering and support to help them be their best self. Albert Einstein once said, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” I will be researching and sharing my knowledge on many different mental health issues, and discuss the symptoms and how to get help. If you feel you need help, do not be afraid to reach out, you are not alone. In this article, I will be talk about psychosis and more specifically David Harewood’s documentary of his experience of living with psychosis.

 

Psychosis is defined as a “severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality.” Psychosis happens in episodes. David talks about his own experience of having psychosis and goes down memory lane recovering memories of events which occurred during his time of struggle. David talks to doctors about the symptoms associated with psychosis, many of which David had experienced himself. There are a wide range of symptoms that include delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder and irrational beliefs. Psychologists have been researching around the topic and have found that there are numerous biological and environmental factors that can lead to psychosis. These symptoms can be explained by the biological theory (nature) behind psychosis, which is the dopamine hypothesis theory. This theory states that there is an excess of the hormone dopamine binding to receptors. There are also environmental factors (nurture) that can lead to psychosis. These factors include drug use, lots of stress and high alcohol consumption.

 

David discovers that around 80% of all first psychosis episodes occur before the age of 24. David was around this aged when he left home to pursue an acting career. He moved away from his family and friends, making him feel  isolated from the world. Due to this loneliness and feeling of isolation, he started doing drugs and drunk alcohol often, which most likely was a huge factor that led to his psychosis episodes. During his episode, he would have a heightened arousal which would often end up with him going out for random walks in which he would stay out until early morning, he said he felt God-like and felt that the world revolved around him.  A young psychosis patient that David spoke to stated that he also feels God-like during his psychosis episodes. .  David stated that he also experienced lots of racism during his career, which is also another factor that would have led to his episodes

 

David went to a group called early intervention where he spoke to multiple young people experiencing psychosis. They all stated that they had experienced symptoms very similar to David and that having a group of people to talk to helped relieve these symptoms. Meeting others that have/are experiencing what he went through shows that if you are suffering, you are not alone. David said he felt comfort in knowing that he was not the only one. A doctor stated that people experiencing psychosis often withdraw themselves from society, which then leads to them feeling even more isolated and alone. A theory known as the social drift theory states that when someone with psychosis withdraws themselves from society, it can often lead to further stigma and discrimination, which then makes them become even more disengaged from society. David said that talking to people about what you’re going through helps a lot. One of the young psychosis sufferers also mentioned that they use anti-psychotics to relieve their symptoms, medicine like that was not as accessible to David during his time of suffering. David did not have this help and there was a lot of stigmas back when David had his episode, so people were less aware of what to do and often people with a mental health issue did not get the help they needed, which would then lead to their condition getting worse. Thankfully, it is vastly different now. Due to various mental health acts, doctors are more aware of mental health issues that patients may be experiencing so they can diagnose them and get them the help they need.

 

His documentary is really interesting and listening to those that are suffering from psychosis, makes you empathise with them and helps you understand how difficult it is for some people to sustain a good mental health. Keep your eyes peeled for the next article!

By Joseph Craig