As a peer specialist, I use my own lived experience as someone who has experienced having psychosis and the most useful technique I've learned is something that is called "Negotiating reality", which is what Dr Syl talks about a little. It's where you respond to and validate their FEELINGS around their delusions, not actually encouraging or denying them but treating them like valid things to be distressed, excited, concerned, etc about. I remember being in a panic because I thought my friends got in a car accident on the way to the hospital to pick me up, so I left early, and when I was confused and scared that they showed up at the house, one of them calmed me down by saying "That didn't happen in this timeline" because I had been obsessed with alternate timelines, and that immediately made me go "ohhh! That makes sense!" In this way, they didn't deny that it happened or say that I was wrong, instead they helped me to think 'I saw a different timeline, and this timeline is safe'.

@hazeld3703

9 ай бұрын

I gotten kind of- weird?- about reality before, usually when I’m already going through a really stressful time, and I’m going to try to remember to tell myself “that didn’t happen in this timeline”. Thank you!

@actuallyasriel

8 ай бұрын

That framing of timelines kicks ass, I rate that.

@user-wl2xl5hm7k

7 ай бұрын

Honestly, though flawed, there’s intuitive understanding of some very real logical processing here: modal logic. The alternative timelines belief shows this. This is how analytic philosophers do possible worlds analysis. And it’s how they distinguish between necessary truths, possible truths, and contingent truths. I hope people look into this if they’re interested.

When my sister suffered a Psychotic episode she was very fearful and worried about a few things. 1. Her fiance was "watching her every move". 2. The food was being poisoned. She was highly distressed. So i just said, it sounds really hard, like you just don't feel safe anywhere. Yes, she said. So we discussed ways she might feel safer. Like talking to the Mental Health Team on the phone or going into hospital where her fiance wouldn't be able to "watch" her. Things like that. All said in a soft voice. All enquired about rather than telling her those were her options. So she got to decide what was best for her at that time. There was no point in saying she isn't being watched or that the food was safe. No point in arguing with her beliefs. Just more focusing around how that made her feel and then how we, together, could help her.

@hannabio2770

8 ай бұрын

I sincerely hope your sister will feel better! And I hope you taking care of yourself and your needs too. It doesn't matter how much you love your family - experience something like that must be hard and can feel overwhelming sometimes... Um, sorry for weird comment. I just wanted to express my sympathy for you two.

@LiveContentCreator

5 ай бұрын

Dude, my moms psychotic episode was so severe to the point she lost her apartment of 25 years because she was so out of it and when my grandma and aunt tried to help her and had an attorney with us when we talked to her to let her know she just had to sign her name and check the boxes to identify that she did this and signed it in order to have a case to fight for keeping her apartment.. Now she's homeless, a beloved lost soul never forgotten.

@LiveContentCreator

5 ай бұрын

In San Marcos, CA, San Diego County

I had a great friend rest in peace who was often a bouncer or worked security at music festivals and concerts. He was a biker and big tough guy who could kick ass easily but yet he was also the gentlest most compassionate wise soul thanks to his mother and how she raised him. He one time had this guy wig out on some bad acid at a concert and he started yelling and freaking people out and some other guards were about to rought him up, but my friend came over and sensed he wasn't right in the head and calmed him down by offering to help and asked him what's wrong... The guy said there were ninja assassins out to get him, they had stolen his shoes and socks and now they were coming to kill him. So instead of saying no ninjas exist, my friend genius that he is said: "okay...see these guys? They're trained Shaolin monks. They are the strongest guys ever and noone will mess with you with them around. Go with them to the shelter tent and they will keep you protected and hidden there." And the guy calmed down, and my friend even offered him his own socks to keep his feet warm.

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

this is an awesome story! well done to your friend! thanks for sharing :)

@lyndamodeste7902

9 ай бұрын

Its what God teaches us, to be kind to each other, love yr neighbor as your self ❤

I used to have psychosis. I was absolutely harmless, but I was very, very abused by the bulk of the psychiatrists I dealt with. Now, after they gave me PTSD, I an finding out that I actually have a Central Nervous System Disorder. I was hospitalized almost 50 times, I was almost forced into an assisted outpatient program, and not one of those doctors ordered an MRI. To say I am furious is an understatement.

@CLJlovesmal

9 ай бұрын

I'm so so sorry they treated you wrongly. I've also had abuse by psychiatrists, so now when I try to explain my medical conditions and allergies are my big reasons for refusal of med changes ...they think I'm just being a difficult patient (I have a new-ish diagnosis of bipolar and they're not listening to my medical history- I also know that PTSD can be misdiagnosed as bipolar- one of the abuses put upon a family member). I'm literally saying no so they don't kill me with medication reactions to things I know I can't have. I happen to have an incomplete nervous system along with a bunch of physical conditions and mental health doesn't understand or like to acknowledge beyond their scope of understanding.

This has already happened to me, but in slightly other ways... I lost my best friend to a psychosis for about 10 years ago, he had unmedicated paranoid schizophrenia (refused to take medication, and I partly understand him because... long story), and sadly was found dead with 12 Fent sticked to his arms, although his going away has a lot of questions around it. The months before, I spent hours listening to him cry in fear, rage and sheer panic, because everyone was trying to poison him and he felt people were standing outside his windows etc.. It's so heartbreaking, I still hear his desperation when I think about that time. There was not much I could do, I tried to walk the fine line between comforting him without adding too much to his paranoia, which was really hard, especially since he actually *had* people after him for real too. Poor man, I miss him more than words could ever describe, he was a one in a million individual that always was there when you needed it the most. (When he had his good periods). The other encounter that stands out to me was when I myself was in a psych ward because of me recovering from Delirium Tremens due to excessive alcohol abuse and quitting CT. (About 2 and a half to 3 years ago) When I finally had the strenght and courage to get out from my room and socialize, I realized that I was in the hospital with a very interesting group of people. I sat down and tried to have conversations with a few of the others, and I soon realized that they talked almost *only* by referencing and associating words, one word at a time, but with impressing speed. After a while I kind of got the hang of it, and when a woman I sat with started to freak out from anxiety, I tried my best and calmy pointed at the door beside us, and said; "Orange. Calm. Nice. India." She looked at/through me and immediately started to calm down, continuing the associations. Maybe 5-10 minutes later, she smiled and said "Blue. Safe. Rain.". ... "Shower. ", I replied, and then we shared a cigarette. Truly a humbeling experience. People should be treated as people, no matter how strange they seem. Everyone has a story as to why things get the way they are.

@HeliosPlayGames

Жыл бұрын

I'm sorry for your loss... It is unfortunately pretty common for individuals with schizophrenia to not take medications

@Foxiz

Жыл бұрын

@@HeliosPlayGames A sincere thank you. It's a loss I still struggle to deal with, 10+ years after. I know that not taking the medication is a pretty regular thing, but in my dear friends case it was even more complicated, but it's hard to explain without almost writing a novel. Short (and therefore kind of unfair) story; his dad had the same diagnosis, and my friend was the only target. Frankly his "father" wanted - and tried - to off him. All the time. [Edit: *for real* , that is. The last time it went to court, his dad screamed that he was going to off him during the trial. He always managed to get away with a slap on the wrist, somehow. Wasn't fit for prison, and was great at acting sane when it really mattered] My lost friend was also extremely intelligent and educated, so his poisoning ideas actually made chemical/scientific sense. ...If the ideas had been accurate. Just a small fraction of the whole dynamic. I think I needed to write the original post, it's something I hadn't really put into words even to myself before. Sorry if this was TMI.

@HeliosPlayGames

Жыл бұрын

@@Foxiz Well, my mother has this diagnosis too and her mother had it too. Her mother was taking medications but at the time they had much worse side effects, now my mother doesn't want to take them despite being a surgical nurse

@Foxiz

Жыл бұрын

@@HeliosPlayGames Well that's... Interesting. May I ask how she handles it, though? I mean, the diagnosis itself doesn't automatically make people totally insane per se. My late friend had some episodes with paranoia, but he could live his life through it and come out of it. Until he couldn't, that is. I have my fair share of psych diagnoses myself, and I very well understand the problem with being medicated sometimes, especially since I almost always have really odd reactions to the meds.

@HeliosPlayGames

Жыл бұрын

@@Foxiz When circumstances become stressful she becomes gradually psychotic, losing grip on reality and having delusions that somebody will kill her family. Also she acts irrationally and is very scared

He is validating her in her delusions. At this point it's no matter IF she really is good mother or what her struggles are; it's just about reaching out to where she is right now and by this building a bridge between her reality and him as someone who can keep her from hurting herself and making her situation worse. It's not the time for the bigger picture at this moment.

I’m curious, is it expected to call cops instead of medics where you are? I’d be concerned about cops escalating the situation here, or harming the person.

@helenamcleod8505

11 ай бұрын

In Melbourne Victorian Police also turn up with a mental health Nurse, also with out of non. Police turn up most of the time incase they do harm to others or to the paramedics and will also at times rise in the back of the ambulance assist incase patient becomes agitated or none compliant. It can make thing worse at times but it’s in the best interest for all involved to have that extra assistance just incase. If a patient refuses to go to hospital police with assist with making that happen as well.

@joquail000

11 ай бұрын

Yes, you would call the police & they would notify the other services (as mentioned above) in Australia.

@storydates

11 ай бұрын

@@helenamcleod8505 thank you!

@storydates

11 ай бұрын

@@joquail000 thanks!

@lilsprugga

10 ай бұрын

But I think of the poor Granny who was tasered by a police and died as a result.

Hi Dr Syl. You can compare psychosis to a dream state where anything is possible and things can appear and disappear instantly. Trying to talk someone out of a delusion is like trying to tell a friend they shouldn't have had a dream about running from a purple bear. It's best to do what the doc did and have lots of empathy and kindness.

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

thanks for this description, this is helpful

@Ohwell32

10 ай бұрын

@@stickibug You're welcome.

I once helped an older woman in front of my house. She was screaming at (what I could imagine) was a hallucination. I took the approach of essentially distracting her, by saying hello, introducing myself, asking if she is doing ok. It worked, and she kinda snapped out of it, before I managed to contact her son to pick her up. I avoided addressing any mental illness, or hallucinations, and simply distracted her with pleasantries. She was very disheveled overall, with a lack of grooming that was quite evident.

That’s a very healthy devil’s ivy in the background, I would be grateful for tips 😂

This is so incredibly helpful! I am married to a soldier (We are British btw) and soldiers who have been in combat zones often show some psychotic behaviours while under the influence of substances. I already try and stay calm because i know that responding to explosive behavior with explosive behaviour is just going to end up with injuries! You've now added skills and ideas to what I already have thank you! 😊😊

Thank you so much for sharing! Last year, a neighbor was shooting a gun at an unseen threat and I was so happy when the police took the active shooter into custody with no injury. I am unsure why we expect 13 weeks of police academy to make an effective psychologist while they are at it.

@DaiKozui

10 ай бұрын

He's Australian. I'm pretty sure Australian police are trained for much longer than 13 weeks. Now, if you're talking about American police... that's a whole 'nother story.

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

We've tried to defund the police and move the funds to mental and social services representatives who can be called to situations like this, but nobody wanted to do that. Eugene, Oregon has a good program that does this, and it needs to be implemented nationwide. There is NO REASON for our m*rder brigade to be called to mental health situations.

I once calmed a girl who was on a very bad acid trip by showing her how to blow on a blade of grass. It sounds like a kazoo btw if you arent from the country and dont know that. Anyway she calmed right down and started laughing.

I work in a hotel and once dealt with someone who, I'm not sure they had psychosis but they were very confused and screaming into one of the foyers where a large event was going on. I ended up tapping him on the shoulder which now I know I shouldn't do, but he did listen to me. I was so freaking stressed for the next couple hours.

Wow, I’m so glad you were there to help your friends and help that woman! Talk about right place, right time!

This is a crazy story, I'm so glad everyone was able to walk away safe and unharmed.

This was good, I'm not doctor by any means but I do work in mental health. This was a good explanation, nice and clear on how to approach such a situation. Hope your friends are ok, that would rattle most people.

@drsyl can you please do a video about the signs and symptoms a friend or family member may be in psychosis and how to approach telling them they may need help?

Hello, I just wanted to say your videos have helped me a lot recently. Someone I care about has been dealing with episodes of what seems to be psychosis or TGA over the last several years. I don't want to give too many details publicly without their consent, but your videos have helped me to better understand what they are going through, and how I can support them. Thank you.

@sublunarymessaging7462

Ай бұрын

don't want to share too much either... but know you're not alone.

Especially for psychotic situations, I've found the ideas behind transference to be a great starting approach to learning where the proverbial "empathic gas and break" when working with someone in that much distress. You can't control them (that's crazy) but you can control yourself, and just by being present? Influence influences things effectively enough when you get the mix right 😜 In your example, you maintained the attitude the other needed to copy and utilize. They WILL pick up on your fear if you're scared, and while that fear may be justified? This is one of the moments in life where you get to learn and see how powerful empathy and compassion can be (regardless if their psychotic or delusional, empathy and compassion aren't physical things either. And yet still integral to the process). While I haven't worked with a lot of psychotics within a professional capacity? The ones who did come asking for my help (music therapy) were more often the type that would hurt themselves before they would consider realistically hurting anyone else. Even the violent voices (which let's be honest here, are their own thoughts they are experiencing) are rejected and recognized as not them, because of how bad they genuinely don't want to engage or identify with those thoughts (which is important, albeit a little generalizing maybe 😅. I have heard stories where things do go bad, but even if you don't know them; your demonstration of calmness and validation is medicine to them (and is ultimately the last bastion of control you will find in those moments sometimes). Don't tell them what to do, show them. Keep up the great work 🙏 “Try to calm someone down, and you will become the enemy. Demonstrate how one calms down, and you will become their teacher.” - Sum Dood

I am very happy to see that this community has many experiences like mine. My mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia before I was born and has never wanted to get treated because she has a fear sorounding medicine. As you can imagine, it has been very difficult for me growing up having to develop emotional maturity early to calm her down and empathize when things get complicated (I'm still in my teens). But I find a lot of comfort and understanding in the comments, it makes me feel like I'm not the only one who has struggled in these situations.

Wow!! So we had a neighbor who was in psychosis knock on our door at 2:30am convinced three men broke into her apartment. She was very distressed and rambling about how the FBI took her phone so she couldn't call for help. I did all of these steps except keep my distance which was a little hard in an apartment building. I spoke to her calmly, helped her call police, told her we had people coming to make sure her apartment was safe, and that she needed to tour her apartment with police. She was having active panic so I acknowledged that out loud and I offered her an ice cube to calm her down. She took it and started to calm down then the police arrived. I'm very glad she knocked on our door and not anyone else's as I was able to deescalate her.

It's important to set your own emotional impulses aside. The person you are trying to help may insult you because they are so fearful and distrusting of everyone in that moment. Often those in psychosis are very, very terrified of something (even if objectively that thing doesn't exist or isn't real). People who are scared naturally act in a defensive manner (just as you would if you were very, very scared of something that you believed was very, very real). Don't take anything personally in that moment. It may be difficult. They may say the most personally offensive thing you've ever heard. They may use slurs. They may be insulting to someone you care about. It is important to set aside, for the moment, your own emotional impulses. You can revisit what happened later and process it yourself to make sense of it. In that moment, you are trying to help a person in distress.

The technique you describe here is kind of similar to what we call ”low affective treatment” (when I translate it from Swedish) and it’s truly working, well, most of the times. 🌷

Agree with all of the deescalation but I don't know what I think about the 2nd point of saying, you'll get your money. I'm struggling with my Schizophrenic son who has delusions and paranoia...no voices so far. I try to always remain calm though...

What a wild series of events! thankfully in a way you were coherent and able to try to help her efficiently

Wow its very similar to what Teepa Snow says about handling dementia patients

Thank you fascinating and informative

Thanks for sharing. I have a feeling I'm gonna deal with a lot of psychotic episodes (addicts befriending addicts) and I just wanna help people. I've had episodes myself and while I haven't needed hospitalization for it, it was a terrifying experience. Paranoia is no joke, I seriously thought my friends were "in on something", but I couldn't tell what. Or they all knew. The last thing I'd want during an episode like that is someone yelling at me or holding me down.

Very interesting and informative.

Thanks for sharing. I am new to mental health and actually had to deal with a larger client that thought she was hearing us talk about her. I was able to calm her down and got her to consider that maybe she didn’t hear what she thought. She was doing a lot of self harm.

Thank you for the story! It was really interesting! I'm glad no one get seriously hurt... 😢 I feel really sorry for girlfriend of your friend! Such a stress for her...

Certainly an interesting subject, especially for somebody who's already interested in first aid etc. I hope I'll never need it but I hope when I do, I'll remember this video!

Alright. I have episodic psychosis. I'm going into this video blind. I'll let you know in the edit how well it does. Note 1 - You can't tell visually if a psychotic episode is schizophrenia. Psychosis can come from a myriad of disorders including brain injuries, complex PTSD, certain flavors of autism, etc. I see that this is what your channel's about, and likely your specialty, but I don't feel great about diagnosing strangers that you had one interaction with, even if it seems valid especially in such a short term after the interaction. This is a nitpick. "Psychosis is a lot of things." Correct! Glad you pointed that out, and that you mentioned the groups. I have had fewer positive-leaning episodes while on antidepressants, but negative-leaning episodes became so much more frequent and intense that they got in the way of my functioning. It's a hard thing to communicate to people with only a layman's understanding of the topic, and to communicate that I'm slipping into a psychotic episode when they're primarily negative in nature. "...she reported that she had never been violent..." I don't want to write details into a situation I wasn't in, but in this scenario, I would insert "...before now" into her report. Typically if it's gotten to this point, there had been no further attempts at proper deescalation, or they were ineffective. Alternatively, there may be a trivial disconnect in her definition of "violent". I had this disconnect a lot when I was a child, and it got me in trouble and I didn't know why. She may have internally justified throwing the book as "trying to get attention," not trying to hurt anybody; and breaking into the window with the other content of her delusion, etc. These disconnects, which originate in other areas of psychotic illness rather than the psychosis itself, can be a barrier for deescalation, as well as talk therapy, and generally make discussing our experiences harder. The actual techniques I have no issues with. I'm actually reflecting on experiences with members of my support group having used these before. A big component with me while I'm not thinking rationally is dismissing the other person's intent as being invalid or fake or self-fulfilling "you just think you have to help, you don't actually _want_ to" but like, these work, regardless. If your focus is on them, treating them as a person, treating their stress as valid, it goes a long way. I'm very glad you're teaching the public about this stuff, and are actively avoiding stereotypes. It's easy with a lot of popular psychology/psychiatry content to view the suffering as unavoidable, or deserved, but clearly you don't believe this, and I get the read from you that you want to challenge these stereotypes. That means a lot; I'm coming away from this video with a good first impression.

@sublunarymessaging7462

Ай бұрын

This is an amazing comment, thank you. What did you mean by disconnects "originating in other areas of the psychotic illness?"

Amazing vid

sending hugs from the uk xx

These 5 points of advice can be used in more situations then only psycotic people, so i think they are good to have no matter who you are dealing with! I dont think my two experiences where people who where psychotic, but i have had two experiences with a people in extreme destress.. One where an older woman that was laying outside, in the grass, with her big fancy pelt coat on, fancy dressed, in the middle of the night, she was speaking nonsense, she was all over the place, so we called the cops and stayed with her to make sure nothing haplend to her. She was either extremely drunk or on something, i remember her breath stinking of hard alcohol. In the end she was taken to the station to sleep off the drunk and i think she might have been on some drug, but she also could not remember a thing the next day.. She could have died or been close to as we found her only in her part dress and that coat, laying on the cold ground not able to get up herself.. The other was a young woman laying on the train station, crying uncontrollable, her shoes where thrown of, her jacket thrown and her bag layed open with things spead out. I must say i thought she had been robbed or r*ped.. She was also extremely erratic, her emotions where all over the place, i tried keeping my distance to her but ahe pulled me in, held me and cried on me, so i just let her while i told my partner to call the police. She had been broken up with, someone had r*ped her, her father was abusive, and many more things. She was drunk, maybe high? She was out of it and suddenly she came to herself, changing completely! She didnt want the police to get involved. As my partner tried telling the police the situation, i felt her mood change, i tried to say "please stay with me" but she got up and ran out on the railway tracks crying uncontrollable, screaming she wanted to die. There was 20 minutes untill the next train, but i can tell you the police showed up SO fast! She had climbed down to the nearby school and weed smoking hangout when the police arrived, a police man and woman went to get her, while i picked up her belongings and handed it over to the police, we also told them the story and what we had found out and they later called us to thank us and tell us she was safe at home with family. It was such an emotional roller coaster! Her dad had been calling her phone, and my partner had at one point taken the call to figure out what happend, the dad was sick with worry, and very nice, he could explain that her boyfriend and father to their children had broken up with her, she had tried to get him back but he had denied her. She had been extremely depressed, but the family tried to take care of her and her child. He got our number so he could contact us if needed. He called us 3 days later to update us and say thanks for helping, his daughter was drunk and on some drug, and remembered nothing at all! We told him to maybe get her some therapy as she did seem very very depressed, and he promissed us to get her some help.

This is I'll say at least from my personal experience good handling of the situation. Where the patient was heard and made to feel safe. I myself am a schizoaffective patient and I never have had good outcome when i have had a episode. I have been abused while i didn't even hurt anyone. I have a very strong knit team of doctors and therapists and i myself am studying to be a mental health professional. So when i know things will escalate i isolate myself from people to not cause harm to anyone else but people don't understand that and in turn i have been abused physically a lot of time in name of " calming me down " when i do have a plan in what to do in these situations with help of my medical care team but ya . I used to feel bad in the initial years that people are afraid of me but now having better understanding of me and awarness as well that is space is good. And when the patient itself is saying give space respect that but also yes from a distance keep an eye to see that they themselves are not hurting them. And please do not scream do not physically abuse them as in hit , slap , punch " to bring them back to reality or calm them " cause it causes much more problems to the patient and in some cases to the other person also. Talk calming and try to help them in anyway possible by calling the medics or authories. Personally the abuse i have gone through during my episodes are still so traumatizing for me that if I am having an episode come up and I'm not with a person who understands me i expect the worse and so helpless.

@sarahrodriguez4040

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My sister was recently diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder. Thanks! You're brave and strong.

A building mate in my small building has been convinced for years that I am stalking her, that I put lasers in her floor thru my ceiling, that I go out when she goes out in order to stalk her. I cannot speak to her as she becomes extremely aggressive. Otherwise she presents normally. She is in her late 50s and is a well known pianist. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Her friends seem to be clueless and in fact one of them blamed me for the situation. A little anti psychotic would for sure help her but she sees no need and no one in her life sees a need. Fixed delusions. I hate running into her.She tells others in the bldg I am doing this to her and she calls the aged and decrepit bldg owner who is off site to complain that I make horns honk when she comes outside. Her anger makes her a vile person. Nothing to be done on my part really.

@gianfranco_maldetto_92

11 ай бұрын

That looks like sheer psychotic disorder, not schizophrenia.

@middlemarie2

11 ай бұрын

@gianfranco_maldetto_92 thank you. Any idea what causes that? It gas definitely worsened over time

@gianfranco_maldetto_92

11 ай бұрын

@@middlemarie2 It could also be early onset dementia. In order to differentiate all other disorders with psychotic features from schizophrenia you should answer these questions: is her hygiene level poor? is she paranoid about other stuff? does she talk to herself? Does she come off disconnected, remote, cold? If all the above were answered negatively, she most probably does not suffer from schizophrenia. It could be dementia, just psychotic (it usually affects middle aged people with the average onset at 45-50). Just be polite to her and ignore her.

@middlemarie2

11 ай бұрын

@@gianfranco_maldetto_92 Thank you. She presents very very well. Very interesting. And amazingly - after years of threatening to move out of the building (and why wouldn't she since she thinks I am after her) she is moving out! Remarkable. It was just very very stressful living in a very small building (old mansion divided up into suites) and constantly seeing her. Could she be psychotic without it being schizoprhenia? Could be early onset dementia true but I worked with folks with dementia and hadn't seen it present like this.

@gianfranco_maldetto_92

11 ай бұрын

@@middlemarie2 Yes, she could be suffering from paranoid/delusional disorder. Paranoia is very, very common in schizophrenics, but not exclusive to this syndrome.

And you didn't get this episode on video? lol jk I grew up across the street from a state hospital where we also waited on fir the school bus at a small family run convenience store where patients were allowed to come shop. This gave ne an acute awareness and empathy of thise experiencing their own version of reality. My mom always told us her children that the one psychiatric disorder to be on guard about is schizophrenic because you never know what the voices are telling them what to do! It seems a common theme is that when the voices are shouting demeaning things to them they sometimes in certain individuals are telling them to act out. In some violent form of self preservation instead of what we might perceive as a willful mean act of aggression. In their minds the voices are telling them to do horrible things often times to themselves ranging from self cutting to other disgusting acts. This is such a horrobly debilitating disease and the fact that the onset is generally in the early to mid twenties and can be much earlier in live makes even more tragic. This is compounded with the general public's lack of understanding and phobia makes the world of the schizophrenic hopeless often times. I commend you for not only making the field of psychiatry your lifelong career but these videos you have been producing which are very informative and are in essy to understand nomenclature. I think you're a very good soul indeed.

When I was a teenager I was attacked by my mum’s friend who has schizophrenia. She grabbed me by the hair and held me down while she shouted at me. She was mad because I was upset that she was late picking up my sisters, making me late. I have autism and bipolar. But my mum got mad at me because I “clenched my fists at her friend.” My neighbor heard me screaming and rescued me from that b*tch.

Thank you for clarifying the window was on the first floor lolol

Interesting! Also - that is one BIG pathos!

Sad story.😢 Dementia creates some very unusual stories too.😮

I guess I needed to find this video because in just one month, I’ve had to deal with 2 different situations, both involving fire interestingly. First was my schizophrenic neighbor who was having delusions of secret agents breaking into her apartment and that the government was listening to her. She would tell everyone in our building and I would always be nice and agreeable whenever we would talk. Now she’s admitted because she almost burned her apartment down and went missing for a couple days. The other situation, I had to actively talk down someone who was tripping balls and had a hyper fixation of a bonfire at a festival last week. He was wearing a yellow fire jumpsuit and kept walking around barefoot in ash with nails and hot coals in it. Then without warning, JUMPED about 6 feet straight over the bonfire. This scared the shit out of us and I was tripping too, so I had to track down someone sober. I ultimately was the one who convinced him to leave the fire area after about 4 hours even though I was freaking out a little inside. He was fine but I almost witnessed a bad injury if he didn’t make that jump. Well, at least I found your videos in case I keep encountering this kinda stuff

So true! Give them their space. I made the mistake of getting in my adult child’s space during a psychosis. Resulted in complete escalation, violence with assault and the only thing I could do at that point to get safe was get police assistance. Do not get in someone’s space who is experiencing a psychotic episode.

thanks for the info. we never know when we will need to use those skills. they are appropriate for other situations too. stating calm can be difficult 😊

I love this guy, wish I was his patient!

I either make a big show of greeting them, ask them what I can do for them, or change the subject. Then just talk with them like a normal person and make them feel heard.

To the doctor who asked me how I got psychotic, I wasn’t. I just didn’t want this creep sitting on top of me. I called 911. He already sat on someone else, but I was in the hospital before he could sit on top of me. He did not sit on me. I think the creepy man belonged in the hospital. I had an anxiety attack. I take gabapentin.

@mygirldarby

10 ай бұрын

Pregabalin (lyrica) is better. Gabapentin made me so tired. I hated it. I take lyrica for nerve pain from surgery. It's similar to gabapentin, but newer and much better.

@democratictotalitariansoci1462

9 ай бұрын

ask doctor for Propanolol. It works magically, take it one or two weeks daily, then as needed. Everything annoying becomes so distant, you can't focus on it as it drains energy. while good things get even better as they give energy.

A girl I know broke into a random house, but it was caused by her brain tumour. She seems to be normal at times, but has moments of extreme insanity

Cops beat me in the ER and took me to jail drugged and in paper pajamas! I had a blood sugar seizure and had no idea what was going on! Anyway I just paid a fine, cause in the US our system loves a Plea bargin!😮

Hi dr Syl.. is it possible to ask for advice via email about a sick relative? Schizoaffective disorder/ bipolar 1. Won’t take meds. My heart is broken.

I like your vids! Small suggestion, could you turn your voice up a bit? :) You're always quieter than everything else in the video. Ignore, if you already fixed this, I know this was 2 months ago. :)

Can you do a video on post partum psychosis please .

😢 Imagine being in a psychosis and meeting someone who calms you down and listen to you instead of screaming at you and restraining you (thus confirming all your fears)... I think this lady was very lucky to meet someone like you. Some questions: 1. What happened to that lady after the cops came? I don't know if they drugged her, but wouldn't she feel betrayed by you if that happened, because you said no one would harm her? 2. When talking about covid-protests and conspiracy theories, one of my schizofrenic friends said: "These people seem to chose in their own free will for something that happens to me when I'm in a psychosis". What do you think about that? 3. Adding to this, I get so confused when friends tell me to watch my words, because we're tapped into, or that 'they' (the government) wants to kill us/reduce the world population... Is that some form of 'shared psychosis'? All of them say the same: "I think for myself, I use my brain", yet in their conclusions they seem to be almost identical. Their arguments seem so real that I almost believe them, and yet, when I really think them through, they don't really make sense. It's not really psychosis, I guess, because they stay calm. What strikes me most is that these people, while uttering horrible accusations and predictions for the future, keep SMILING. They are nodding their head and laughing about the stupidity of the whole situation. When I come up with contra-arguments, they say: "That's what they WANT you to believe". I hardly ever leave a conversation with these people without feeling scattered. It's impossible to avoid the topic, it will always navigate towards it. I don't understand what is going on here. Is it possible to drag a group of people into psychosis by (mis-)informing them?

I lost a friend to psychosis. It's so hard to know what to do

❤

If you are in the US, and you witness something like this and no one is in actual danger: DO NOT CALL THE COPS. That can not be overstated. Doing so will likely put the psychotic person, you, anyone around you and all animals in the vicinity in grave danger.

Starts at 5:44.

How timely.

Please increase Volume. Permission to repost on social media?

But what book was it??

I love everything, but asking about weapons, in my experience, only agitates them, and likely to follow is a threat of harm with the weapons you wondered about.

What are you supposed to do in the event where they DO have a weapon and no support has arrived yet?

master kung-fo move eleven thousand "keep the psychotic person calm"*Naruto sexey jutsu*

How does hospitals help people whom you have to call for help? Especially if they have no insurance? What does hospitals do to them?

@MichiruEll

10 ай бұрын

In this case she'd be brought to a psychiatric hospital. There, they'll assess if she has capacity (can make medical decisions) or if she has someone who can make medical decisions for her. They'll also drug test to see if it may be drug induced. They will then most likely give her antipsychotic medications to get her to engage with reality and start treatment. As for not having insurance: if someone is bleeding out in front of you, you bring them to hospital no matter if they have insurance. Same thing here: this woman is a danger to herself and others. Her having medical debt is better than her being dead or her harming someone else.

Generally, police and doctors are the ones legally allowed to have someone held against their will. Medics can't really do that as far as I'm aware. The medics wouldn't actually be able to do much more than he was already doing unless they were able to convince her to willingly submit to treatment, which isn't something you can take for granted is going to happen. So, who really needs to show up in a potentially dangerous situation are police who have basic mental health training and experts with them. They will be legally able to take the person into custody and remove them for treatment, then it will be up to a doctor if they will be held involuntarily for treatment. Medics can only treat and transport. They can't take a person into custody for the sake of safety like cops can.

This is interesting. The mental health first aid course curriculum says not to play into delusions. But I guess that is in a controlled situation and not stalling for police.

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. What if she had gone after him since he seemed to know where the money was? Also I know I am looking at this through the lens of a US American who only has access to a m*rder brigade instead of a police force, but I would feel so incredibly evil and guilty for telling her that the money was coming, when really I knew it was the cops. Australian cops aren't bloodthirsty monsters like the ones in the USA, so maybe him lying about that isn't so bad. But I would never be able to forgive myself for playing into her delusions just to get her arrested or m*rdered.

@Teilnehmer

9 ай бұрын

@@stickibug I was also extremely shocked by this sort of playing along. Just for the sake of breaking this persons trust. The situation was obviously incredibly traumatizing for her as well. To put another break of trust right into that memory of trauma is quite nefarious. It is known by now that the pathway from trauma into psychosis is very relevant. To add another layer of manipulation and lying into that just for the sake of "removing the annoyance" is verey questionable. And then having the gall to make a youtube video out of the whole story in order to self-glamourize about how to handle such a situation well. Phew...

You seem very understanding. Would you be friends with someone with a mental illness? Or would you try to not socialise with people who society may see as degenerates?

My manager at work has OCPD and lashes out blaming others for his problems. I Gray Rock him. I don't try to listen to him actively, though. He is more stuck in Word Salad/Pressured Speech and it's not like he's really recognizing we are real people, so there isn't really anything to listen to, and if I do respond to him with more than an "Ok" he will get upset anyway and lash out some more. So I just ignore him but pretend I'm not. I do fear his mental instability and I'm hoping I can move to a different manager, but we'll see. He should technically retire in 4 to 6 years. It would be nice if they moved him into a more appropriate role in a simpler field with less human involvement, since he isn't good at collaborating respectfully.

I came here to drop ❤ because I heart Dr Syl. aaaand I watch him on mute. ASMR purposes only. ❤

Dr Syl, firstly I enjoy your content but disappointed today in your diagnosis of schizophrenia in your introduction in relation to multiple symptoms of psychosis. Yes, I totally understand and respect your medical training and now specialist training in psychiatry but did find it somewhat disappointing especially from a fellow medical professional to so quickly making this assessment / assumption on the initial presentation. I do believe the rest of your discussion was informative and was pleased you mentioned other probable causes for psychosis. With strategies to assist the situation.

I hate you had that experience yet I am also grateful she ended up at a safe place where she could be de-escalated a bit. I believe in God and that you were a God send for that lady.

@coraldell3091

3 ай бұрын

😂

I have schizophrenia 😢.

Does anyone know what people in the USA should do? So often the police here straight up m*rder folks who are having mental episodes. We CANNOT call the police on folks who hare having issues like this. What do we do? Should I just call an ambulance and specifically tell them I don't want them to send the m*rder patrol? I want to HELP in situations like this, and cops here only know how to escalate and harm.

@vmoshiashswili

10 ай бұрын

You can't call an ambulance or they are going to charge the person hundreds or thousands of dollars. Or maybe they will charge you? Not sure but it's not a free service and someone having a psychotic episode probably doesn't have health insurance.

@FrankReiter

10 ай бұрын

@@vmoshiashswiliI agree with your overall message but I’d like to point out that mental illness can afflict anyone. I work in a psychiatric unit and have met many people there with good jobs, including people who came in with psychosis.

@coraldell3091

3 ай бұрын

😮why would the cops do that. ?

'Crazy story.. ' Hmmmm🤔

How to calm a psychotic individual: Do the opposite of what my husband does.

She was lucky you were there.

I realize people do everything wrong.

Still respect 🙏 but i have learned from the opposite side.. Same kind intent just that i have had more success

Dude... what area do u live ? I was homeless in Melbourne for years waiting for housing.. i am the 1% that experienced all you speak including myself some days holding onto what little Sanity there was left.. And guess what.. Because i was dealing with Reality the Australian Government classes you as 100% sane.. even tho u r wanting to become Postal .. 📫 Even today.. I seem to walk up to them when people like you run.. And i help them.. I was hugged today as they broke down crying.. #1 correct. smile 😃 and agree

I understand the value of not attempting to deny a person's delusions but don't lie to a person in psychosis. Find a way to engage with them without lying.

@liamevans1508

11 ай бұрын

Uh no, if someone has been violent already and isn’t in their right mind, lie away if it increases safety. When they are sane, they’ll understand the need for it. It’s no different than handling a dementia patient. They are ill, no sense in causing more distress.

@joquail000

11 ай бұрын

If they are in psychosis you have to do the best for the person involved, bystanders and yourself all at the same time. You’re not lying to gain a benefit from them, it’s just to try and deescalate a potentially dangerous situation. I was involved in a similar situation out in public, didn’t know the man but he was in meth psychosis for sure. He was swinging at me (I’m a girl) I managed to calm him somewhat so I could get away & alert the police.

@VerasPlanet

11 ай бұрын

I understand that there could be extreme violent situations where you have to think quickly to do whatever you can to prevent injury to either party. @joquail000 that sounds like it was scary for you and you did what you had to do to protect yourself with the information you had. Nothing wrong with that. However, there are ways to acknowledge what a person is perceiving and de-escalating without lying. A lot of people seem to think that it's ok to like to people in psychosis because they are struggling to distinguish between fact and fiction anyway. This can cause them more difficulty to return to an understanding of reality. They can also often sense/remember dishonesty (even if they can't identify what it's about), which can exacerbate any mistrust they might have. It is possible to avoid bringing up or saying distressing things without lying. If we are examining the question of how to calm someone in psychosis, to be prepared in advance, it would be beneficial to explore ways to do so honestly whenever possible.

@liamevans1508

11 ай бұрын

Being honest got the roommate’s girlfriend attacked naked with a book, so maybe not

Police in Australia use a gun.

Number one, don’t hold your hands out like your thumb nails. It will scare people

In many U.S. locales, there is an increasing mix of drug addicts and mentally ill among the homeless. Our cities and towns are being overrun with crime as a result. This presents a problem for the average citizen when being confronted by an individual in the midst of a psychotic episode. Your video is very instructive in this regard, however behavior of drug addicts and the mentally ill can often be indiscernible. In some cases a citizen may face a person in a violent psychosis unexpectedly, as in an assault or knife attack. As one involved in martial arts and self defense, I ask at what point does one recognize verbal calming efforts have failed, and self defense measures must be employed?

@WouldntULikeToKnow.

11 ай бұрын

Often people who have drug problems also have mental illnesses so the issue is even *more* complex. Also, if calming the person doesn't work you're best just running away out of the situation and calling for help at a safer place.

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

Please remember that police in the USA are trained in ESCALATION and HEAVY FORCE. They will make situations worse, not better, and oftentimes the person having an episode does not make it through the police encounter alive.

@junbh2

9 ай бұрын

Self defense by definition means someone has already physically attacked you, otherwise you're not talking about self defense. And your goal in self defense is always to run away, otherwise once again, it's not self defense we're talking about.

It’s ‘without further _ado’_ not “adieu.” This is meant to be helpful not pedantic, as I truly welcome any legitimate and well-meaning correction of my own faux pas. Also, the seemingly genuine compassion you exhibit for the mentally ill is remarkable. Many psychiatrists put on disingenuous facades of concern which are poorly executed/maintained. It’s refreshing and reassuring to witness a probable exception.

@junbh2

9 ай бұрын

I think that's just his accent that made it sound like that to you

Your notification just cut in on my remixing old 90s rave music... HOW TO CALM A PSYCHOTIC ? Not like this 😅... Fate x karma ❤ Wrote this on your first 2 seconds

@QIKUGAMES-QIKU

Жыл бұрын

Really I was setting it up.. notification snuck in as I pressed.. 😂

Wow she sure got lucky. Sounds like she broke into the right house. Someone else may have shot the woman.

Just another person..Situational problems AND daily circumstances does not make anyone different to you. At all. You are more psychotic than the person you warn about.. you know ❤ You have learned self control growing up..

@stickibug

10 ай бұрын

my guy you have a swastika in your profile picture, pretending that LGBTQ people are "nazis" when the actual nazis have been trying for centuries to destroy them. You need therapy and you need to stay away from society if you can't handle LGBTQ people existing. Also, schizophrenia and psychosis are diagnosable conditions. I understand people like you who think LGBTQ folks are Nazis are also totally against medicine and science, but this is just embarrassing.

1. Yell “CALM DOWN!” 2. Grab their shoulders and shake

@coraldell3091

3 ай бұрын

😮 really

If only everyone would listen to God's teachings tru His word the bible and let the Holy Spirit lead us we wouldn't have these problems. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life ❤❤

creepy ass, scary, scary story!!😮 On the bright side for your friends gf sake, at least it was a woman and not some big, scary psychotic man!!! IDK why the shower always is kinda creepy, especially when I'm home alone. Maybe Psycho got to me a bit more than I had thought??😊

Now back to Remixing 90s DYEWITNESS- MASTERPLAN.. Maybe give it a listen yourself ❤😅 You may like it 🎉

Don't you have any Italian🤌 relatives🤌?