The Impact Of Alcohol Induced Psychosis On Mental Health

Alcohol induced psychosis is a severe and potentially dangerous illness that may be caused by excessive alcohol consumption. This condition may present delusions or hallucinations as well as other psychotic symptoms that may impact physical and mental well-being.

When we talk about delusions or someone being delusional, it means that an individual firmly believes false thoughts to be true and these can manifest in different ways while experiencing alcohol induced psychosis.

Some of these beliefs may be paranoid, such as thinking you have superpowers or are invincible or that someone or something may be persecuting you, all of which are completely absurd but not to the person perceiving them. Hallucinations, on the other hand, are associated with distorted perception when an individual imagines they see, hear or feel something that isn’t present yet to them is real.

These sensory experiences are extremely unpleasant and distressing making the individual confused and disorientated during an episode of alcohol induced psychosis and just as distressing and concerning for family and friends who have to witness such traumas.

The psychotic symptoms can be most severe and require medical help to safeguard the individual from causing harm to themselves and to ensure their safety during these debilitating experiences.

Those affected by alcohol induced psychosis and their families must recognise the signs related to this condition and seek professional help to treat and manage the symptoms effectively. With the proper treatment and support, individuals suffering from this disease can work towards recovery and regain a healthier life.

Are The Symptoms Of Alcohol-Induced Psychosis The Same As Alcohol Intoxication?

To clarify this question, alcohol induced psychosis may also be referred to as alcoholic psychosis or alcohol-induced psychotic disorder, the same condition that seriously affects mental health as a result of excessive drinking of alcohol substance. Alcohol intoxication is when someone has overconsumed alcohol but generally is not associated with psychosis. The two conditions are distinct yet they both have interconnected concepts associated with alcohol.

Alcohol Induced Psychosis

Definition: Alcohol induced psychosis relates to a series of symptoms revealing an altered reality perception in the brain due to alcohol misuse. These symptoms focus on the mental health of the individual.

Alcohol Intoxication

Definition: Alcohol intoxication happens when a person consumes excessive amounts of alcohol, leading to alterations in behaviour, cognition, and body functions as a result of the depressant effects alcohol has on the central nervous system. These symptoms relate to the physical health of the individual.

Alcoholic psychosis is recognised for its symptoms connected to delusions and hallucinations and the challenges of viewing reality rather than confused perceptions. P

sychotic symptoms typically occur after stopping drinking but may not manifest for up to two weeks and may persist for months. A correct diagnosis for the condition is when these symptoms are present for a minimum time of 48 hours.

It would appear that alcoholic psychosis affects mostly males of working age, addicts from an early age, those who live alone, or people with low incomes, many of whom already suffer from a co-occurring mental disorder. It is also a main factor related to elevated conditions of depression, and anxiety and is linked to suicide.

Signs And Symptoms Of Alcoholic Psychosis

As already mentioned, there is a fine line between alcohol intoxication and alcoholic psychosis due to their similarities, and can be difficult to determine each condition but the symptoms of alcohol induced psychosis will persist for much longer as opposed to the milder symptoms of disorientation and confusion associated with alcohol intoxication, and will prove more severe and more prominent.

Signs and symptoms to be concerned about are the result of a psychotic disorder, many of which can be frightening and extremely worrying to watch and extremely dangerous and debilitating for the person having to endure this terrible condition.

Every individual may experience different feelings and emotions and may react absurdly, violently, and most certainly out of character. Some of these symptoms may include:

• Imagining people or objects are present when there isn’t. These hallucinations seem real and the individual may be adamant and insist that they are convincing themselves more and more of their false perceptions.
• Similarly, they may experience auditory hallucinations whereby they hear sounds or voices that don’t exist.
• Manifesting delusional beliefs that have no sense of reality and acting in a way to firmly support their deluded visions.
• Bouts of paranoia showing irrational suspicion or mistrust of others with feelings of them being threatened or persecuted.
• Incapable of being able to express their thoughts clearly or speaking incomprehensibly and confusingly.
• Sudden outbursts of violence, aggression, or verbal abuse.
• Speaking or showing suicidal thoughts or actions.

These symptoms may also be similar to those of other mental health conditions that are the cause of a type of psychosis and should not be conclusive as due to the complexities of their nature, only professional mental health providers should address the issue and formulate a correct diagnosis.

What Are The Dangers Of Alcohol Induced Psychosis?

Psychosis associated with alcohol is a very dangerous condition with a devastating impact on the body and mind and if left untreated can have severe consequences.

This chronic alcohol disorder is unimaginable in trying to understand the unpleasantness and discomfort someone may be going through let alone feel what the distraught family and friends who may have to witness such alarming symptoms are having to endure.

Not only are the hallucinations, delusions, and confusion bad enough, but other potential dangers may arise pushing limits and endurance to breaking point.

Additional harm may come as a direct or indirect result of alcohol-related psychosis and should be taken into serious consideration and addressed to treat the condition and prevent any further conflict. Alcohol psychosis usually goes hand in hand with several threatening situations:

• Sustaining injury due to disorientation or confusion. This could be as simple as turning on or off a gas oven, miscalculating steps, or crossing the road. People who are confused are not aware of their actions which could prove fatal where there is little or no supervision.
• Sustaining an injury due to aggression is another likely probability as the symptoms of psychosis cause paranoia making a person rigidly believe in their confused state of mind and could provoke all sorts of incidents through aggressive or violent behaviour.
• Sustaining injury as a victim is also a concern due to social, ethnic, or other multifaceted factors, putting the person at risk when they cannot defend themselves. Verbal abuse alone is an assault and detrimental to those who have a mental illness.
• Pre-existing mental conditions can significantly worsen. Individuals who already have a co-occurring mental health disorder may find symptoms spiral out of control and need additional treatment.
• Suicidal thoughts may pop up now and again with terrible ideas and unreal delusional insights that may prompt attempted suicide.
• Hygiene, housekeeping, and nutrition all take a back seat as psychotic mental health issues interfere in organising one’s daily life.
• Falling victim to social isolation, a lack of almost any social connection or exclusion.
• Disruption with friends and family, sometimes leading to conflictive or argumentative situations.
• Work dismissal can lead to a lack of earnings or income and affect daily existence which may cause homelessness, debt, and desperation.
• Unlawful activities such as driving, and aggressive or anti-social behaviour may lead to arrest and prosecution.
• Suicide or attempt to suicide cannot be overlooked even if there is the faintest notion of a thought as this is partly an unreal attempt to address the situation and requires immediate professional attention.

All of these symptoms can be treated with professional intervention and there is hope that a loved one can recover from this terrible condition and find their path to recovery.

Take Action For Signs Of Alcohol Induced Psychotic Disorder

Psychotic symptoms caused by alcohol use disorder may initially go undetected as most alcohol withdrawal symptoms are associated with the physical traits of the body and although severe cases may involve hallucinations, these generally decrease and become controllable.

When symptoms appear to be more psychological rather than physical, one should take immediate action to seek professional help. Individuals experiencing the disorder will be unable to make decisions on their own accord and will have little motivation if any to ask for assistance.

It is crucial, therefore, that you take the first and foremost step of seeking the help they need and make the decision for them. You may feel overwhelmed by taking on the task yourself so getting other family members or friends involved can alleviate the pressures and find a way to collectively address the matter.

Finances also play a major role in getting help but there are means and ways and researching different options may often provide more affordable alternatives.  Treating someone with such a condition is not going to be cheap, especially if you have to go private, but even local treatment centres that may be government-funded can be overwhelmed and have no immediate admissions delaying even more the urgent intervention for a patient.

It should be remembered that this type of alcohol induced psychosis needs comprehensive treatment and exceptional highly qualified specialists who understand the condition and can distinguish the similarities of other alcohol-induced conditions.

Treating alcoholic psychosis may require prescription medicine to ease the symptoms and therapeutic interventions to address the holistic approach to healing the body.

You may see someone abusing alcohol, drinking excessively and showing typical signs of alcoholism, these physical signs can trigger physical actions and generally fade but those with psychotic problems need mental health treatment to start any form of recovery. Mental health issues are so much more complex than dealing with physical health and expertise intervention is essential to accurately diagnose and determine the problem, address the issues and continue with ongoing support and aftercare to stabilise and manage the condition.

If you are experiencing a situation where you have a loved one or family member who you think is going through an alcohol-related problem or is affecting their mind, you should make the first call to get help and guidance and seek professional help to guide you through the options available. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Mental Health Treatment For Alcohol Psychosis Symptoms

An alcohol addiction treatment is the first step in finding help for a loved one and can be the lifeline to aiding someone back to a healthier and normal life, but surrounding this problem there may also be more severe complications involving mental health issues.

At Sivan Bali, we address a wide spectrum of drug substance abuse including alcoholism and specialise in designing personalised treatment programmes to address each disorder depending on every person’s needs and requirements.

We have a thorough alcohol detox treatment to address this and other drug substances and have professional medical experts on hand to supervise, monitor and intervene throughout all our clinical procedures.

Our mental health team are fully prepared to deal with adverse symptoms and can assist with the dangers of alcohol induced psychosis and control psychotic symptoms.

Mental health can produce a variety of challenges such as depression, anxiety and other psychological withdrawal symptoms but if treated efficiently the dangers of alcohol induced psychosis may be considerably reduced.

You only need to make one call to us to express your concerns and our friendly staff will gladly give you the information you need and allow you to consider our options that are available to help anyone having to undergo such an ordeal and help you find the right solution at a more affordable cost.