How to Communicate More Easily with Someone in Psychosis

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• How to Communicate More Easily with Someone in Psychosis
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Video: 6 Common Myths about Bipolar Disorder
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

How to Communicate More Easily with Someone in Psychosis

Do you have someone in your life who experiences psychosis? If so, you might have discovered that communication can become very difficult. There are ways to communicate with someone having a psychotic episode that will reduce stress—both yours and the person you need to talk to.

Psychosis, which is a separation from reality involving hallucinations (sensing something that isn’t there)  and/or delusions (firmly believing something that isn’t real), can be frightening, intimidating, confusing and overwhelming for everyone involved. Trying to talk to someone experiencing delusions or hallucinations can be challenging because you’re both living in different worlds. Try these tips to improve communication when talking to someone in psychosis:

• Keep your statements short, simple, and clear
• Use a calm voice and steady tone
• Give the person physical space rather than crowding them
• Acknowledge what they’re experiencing and how they might be feeling
• Don’t argue with or challenge the delusions or hallucinations
• But don’t pretend to believe them yourself
• Be neutral but not placating—give matter-of-fact statements acknowledging that their experience is real to them
• Ask them to help you understand what they’re experiencing

Communicating with someone in psychosis this way helps them feel heard and supported while not overwhelming, arguing, or leading them to believe that their imagined reality is accurate. Your conversations can become less frustrating.

Related Articles Dealing with Communication and Psychosis

• Communication Guidelines
• Schizophrenia and Psychosis: Hallucinations and Delusions
• What is Bipolar Psychosis?
• Seven Steps to Communicating with Confidence
• Three Ways to Have Healthy Communication

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you’ve had conversations with someone in a psychotic episode, what made the conversation successful (or unsuccessful)? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, knowledge, and experiences on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Bipolar Role Models: We All Need Them
• I'm Not Letting Schizoaffective Voices Rule My Life
• The Importance of Being Alone While Anxious
• Facing Stigma: Patients, Professionals, and the Public
• Living with an Invisible Eating Disorder

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

I'm Hannah. I Have Bipolar 2

6 Common Myths about Bipolar Disorder

There are so many myths about bipolar disorder and that’s what fuels bipolar stigma. Those bipolar myths also prevent those of us living with bipolar disorder from getting the help we need and allowing us to feel good about ourselves. (Watch Hannah and subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel for more great mental health videos.)

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Should I Disclose My Mental Illness on a Job Application?
2. Why It's Hard to Be Confident When You Live with Bipolar
3. How to Cope with Stress and Depression

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"Staying quiet doesn’t mean I have nothing to say. It means I don’t think you’re ready to hear my thoughts."

Read more abuse quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook or stumbleupon) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest, where you can share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

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