1. Get Proper Diagnosis for Psychotic Depression
Psychotic depression is a commonly overlooked disease, leaving many people suffering for years before a proper diagnosis and treatment plan is created. Not only does the illness share similarities with schizophrenia, but it also requires the patient to be completely open and honest about the symptoms they're experiencing. You may feel embarrassed, but full disclosure is crucial to recovery.
The key symptoms of psychotic depression include delusions, hallucinations, a previous suicide attempt, hypochondria and anxiety. If you are experiencing any of these signs, you must speak to a health care provider immediately. This is a very severe mental illness and will require an intensive treatment plan. With the availability of effective medication and counseling techniques, however, you can be on the road to recovery soon after treatment begins.
2. Treating Psychotic Depression With Medication
Antidepressants have come a long way in the past few decades, offering more choices and fewer side effects than the depression and antipsychotic drugs that were available in the past. Under the supervision of a psychiatrist, you may need to take either antidepressants or a combination of antidepressants and antipsychotic medications to treat your symptoms and create a proper balance of chemicals in the brain. This imbalance is sometimes caused by the brain's inability to produce the right amounts of serotonin and norepinephrine.
Oftentimes the process of finding an effective combination of drugs involves some trial and error, requiring you to try different types of medication before improvement can be seen. Generally, it takes about 3 to 4 weeks for antidepressant drugs to begin improving your symptoms, so this process does take some patience. It is important not to give up and to keep taking your medication as directed until the best treatment plan is found.
3. The Importance of Counseling
Psychotic depression is a major depressive disorder that will require sessions with an experienced therapist. Obtain referrals and do some research to find a licensed professional in your area who has successfully treated cases of psychotic depression in the past. In addition to his or her qualifications, it is just as important to find someone with whom you connect and feel comfortable with.
Throughout your counseling sessions, your therapist will monitor the medications you're taking and may offer alternative therapies if drug treatments and psychotherapy aren't enough to fully treat your psychotic depression. Other common treatments for the illness include electroconvulsive therapy and brief hospitalization.
