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Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 3:31 pm
(This post was last modified: January 10, 2018 at 3:35 pm by Alexmahone.)
From what I've learnt, psychosis is a false perception of reality, which is categorized into 2 kinds: hallucinations and delusions.
1) I believe that antipsychotics are usually prescribed when a person has a paranoid belief. However, I think that psychiatrists rarely bother to check whether the paranoid belief is true or not. They just assume that the paranoid belief is false because they deem it implausible. Consider person A who thinks his wife is spying on him. If he is right about his wife spying on him, then his belief that his wife is spying on him is not psychotic. In fact, if his wife was really spying on him and he believed that she wasn't, then that would be a psychotic belief, for it would be false. So why don't psychiatrists spend more time verifying the falsity of a particular paranoid belief before labeling it a "delusion".
2) Suppose person B believes that his wife isn't spying on him when in fact she is. B is psychotic because he has a false belief about his wife. Would he respond to antipsychotics? This is an example of a psychotic (false) belief that isn't paranoid.
3) For another psychotic belief that isn't paranoid, consider a physics student who believes that the sun actually rises in the west and that it is an optical illusion that it rises in the east. Would he respond to antipsychotics? Or more importantly, should society prescribe him antipsychotics or try to engage him in an intellectual debate? For all we know, he may be the next Einstein!
4) Finally, and relevant to this forum, should religious people be prescribed antipsychotics? Have any religious people become atheists as a result of antipsychotic treatment? I ask because we know that religious belief is one delusion that does not respond well to reason or argument by itself.
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Oh here we go...
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:08 pm
(This post was last modified: January 10, 2018 at 4:10 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Religious people have the delusions that they would be expected to have - hence it is not a disorder. For most people, I doubt that an anti-pyschotic would do anything to their religiosity anyway. They don't really mean the silly shit they say. It's churchspeak.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm
Well I am an atheist and take anti-psychotics for Bi-Polar disorder.
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm
Psychosis is less about 'false' beliefs and more about dysfunctional beliefs.
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Despite the claims of some atheists, religion isn't a mental illness. Just as it is untrue when some religious people claim that atheism is a mental illness.
Drugs don't have any affect on religious belief, for the most part, and anti-psychotics certainly won't.
I have limited knowledge on the subject, and the few papers I have skimmed regarding mental health seem to indicate that the above is the primarily held view in the medical field.
I'll be interested if someone can provide a peer-reviewed paper that indicates the opposite.
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Functional delusions don't count as psychosis. Religious people can function in society so they're not insane... just illogical.
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:35 pm
(January 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm)Hammy Wrote: Psychosis is less about 'false' beliefs and more about dysfunctional beliefs.
That doesn't make much sense; if a belief is true, it cannot possibly be dysfunctional.
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:39 pm
When I am hallucinating it as a true belief; just unfounded in reality.
The line between that and religion is curious. When I am normal I can recognise the delusion. I suspect that's what you're getting at?
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RE: Hypothetical Q's about psychotic beliefs and antipsychotics
January 10, 2018 at 4:49 pm
(This post was last modified: January 10, 2018 at 5:06 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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