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Psychotic mood disorders, including schizophrenia, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic depression, and substance-induced psychosis, affect a person’s interpretation of reality and can cause hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. These disorders negatively impact social relationships and can lead to changes in behavior and emotional responses. Delusional behavior can be classified into several subcategories, including grandiose delusions, somatic delusional thinking, and delusions of jealousy.
Psychotic mood disorders affect the way a person interprets reality. Some of the major types of psychosis include schizophrenia, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic depression, and substance-induced psychosis. Symptoms of psychotic mood disorders include visual and auditory hallucinations, flat emotional responses, delusions and paranoia. Depending on the severity and type of mood disorder, symptoms can last from one month to several years.
Schizophrenia is one of the most widely recognized psychotic mood disorders. The disease is characterized by hallucinations, which can include hearing voices that are not really present. Individuals who develop schizophrenia may experience delusions, such as the idea that they are being persecuted or that they are on some sort of special mission to save the planet. Paranoia may be present as well as marked changes in behavior that adversely affect work and school performance.
All types of psychotic mood disorders negatively affect social relationships. Since most of them involve some sort of delusional thinking, those with psychosis may feel that others are out to get them or that significant others are having a romantic relationship. Individuals with a mood disorder may become emotionally blank and even cold.
People with some form of psychosis may lose interest in basic tasks, such as personal hygiene, eating, or leaving the house. Schizoaffective disorder is characterized by a combination of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Those with this disorder experience both sets of symptoms associated with clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and hallucinogenic thought patterns.
Closely related to schizoaffective disorder is psychotic depression. This is one of the types of psychotic mood disorders that result from severe emotional negativity. The depression becomes so extreme that it induces delusional thoughts and hallucinations. Those affected by the disorder may begin to believe they have a serious medical illness, such as cancer.
Substance-induced psychosis is a mood disorder caused by withdrawal symptoms from toxic substances, such as drugs and alcohol. The hallucinations and delusions are usually temporary and subside as the individual recovers from substance abuse. Extremely high levels of stress are also thought to cause spontaneous attacks of psychosis which subside once the stressor is removed from the patient’s life.
Delusional behavior can be classified into several subcategories or types. The term grandiose delusions is used to refer to the idea that someone believes they have special powers. In somatic delusional thinking, an individual believes that they have a serious medical condition or that they have a severe physical deformity. Delusions of jealousy, in contrast, are characterized by the thought that loved ones are cheating or accomplishing something that the individual feels they should be.
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