"For most people, the word psychosis evokes images of permanent decline. A person with lived experience is imagined as someone whose future has been irreversibly damaged, whose mind can never be trusted again, and whose life will shrink to something small, unsteady, and disconnected. We are taught to believe that a psychotic episode destroys a person's capacity to think clearly, work meaningfully, contribute to society, love deeply, or live fully."
"Psychotic depression was destabilising in a way I could never have imagined. It was frightening, disorienting, and profoundly humbling. Even after the acute episode passed, I doubted whether I would ever feel steady again. I didn't know if my thinking would recover, if I would ever trust my mind, or if the people I loved could understand what I had just lived through."
Psychosis is commonly perceived as causing permanent decline, irreversible damage to cognition, and social withdrawal. Recovery from psychosis is possible for many, and even when full recovery does not occur, successful symptom management can enable meaningful, connected lives. Many people return to careers, families, relationships, study, creativity, and leadership after psychotic experiences. Psychotic depressive episodes can be destabilizing, frightening, and disorienting, and can undermine confidence in one's thinking and relationships. Personal recovery can challenge the dark narrative about psychosis and demonstrate that steadiness, trust in cognition, and reclaimed life roles are achievable through recovery and support.
Read at Psychology Today
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