What Can I Do to Help Myself?

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Find out more about psychosis, share your worries & fears with someone else you trust. Get as much help as you can, use your local mental health team, CPN, social worker, psychiatrist to get the help you want.

ABOVE ALL DON'T LOSE HOPE & KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR KEYWORKER, & others who are trying to help.



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MEDICATION:

Find out more about medication. Often this can really help the way you feel, try to take it as recommended by your keyworker. It may well help you to stay well too. Unfortunately, some people experience side effects (some types of medication are better than others for this) - again ask your keyworker, Dr or GP about this if it's a problem.

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VOICES:

If you hear voices, learn how to deal with them, there are lots of things you can do that will help you master them. Never forget that they are not real & have no real power over you. Try not to do things they tell you to do - you are the one in control.
------STAY calm
------TRY not to talk back to them -it can make them worse
------TALK to someone or read out loud
------DISTRACT yourself - keep as active as possible - maybe visit friends, go out, do things around the house etc.
------DON'T do what the voices ask or tell you to do (I know this can be hard) as it can make you more afraid & be hard to stop.
------VOICES often tell lies & make false predictions - remember this.
------DRUGS, even stuff like cannabis or E can make voices worse.


WORRYING IDEAS:

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Sometimes you might get worrying or weird ideas or thoughts, which can feel pretty scary & real, but that others don't agree with. Some people might even be scared by your ideas, (which can lead to other problems.)

Any of these sound familiar?:
*Thinking people are talking about you on the TV or the radio etc.
*Thinking that people are against you & maybe want to harm you.
*Thinking you have special powers, like telepathy
*Thinking that people can put in or take out thoughts from your mind.

All these are common symptoms of psychosis. If you experience things like this .....
----TRY to stay calm, worrying too much can make these thoughts stronger.
----DON'T let these worries stop you doing things, by keeping active, you can prove to yourself that YOU REALLY ARE SAFE.
----SPEND time thinking about & doing OTHER THINGS, keep busy & active, don't let it take over your life.
----TALK thing through with someone you trust



KEEPING WELL:

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Psychosis is an illness that can come & go. Once you've got better, you'll want it to stay that way. However, now & then your psychosis may show signs of coming back. These early signs may take a few weeks to build up. They can be pretty individual sorts of things, but might be things like:
* Feeling tense & anxious
* Losing appetite
* Being quiet & withdrawn
* Racing thoughts
* Feeling depressed
* Feeling irritable
* Restlessness
* Forgetfulness
* Not sleeping as well as before
* Losing interest / neglecting yourself
* Feeling puzzled about odd experiences

It's well worth working with your keyworker to identify your own personal early warning signs so if things start building up you can recognse this at an early stage & do something about it to stop it getting too bad. Sometimes it can be helpful to involve a friend or relative in this too, as they might notice things that you haven't, or have forgotten.




STRESS

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Stress is when things feel to much to deal with. Too much can make you feel bad & doesn't help with all this, & may even make things worse. It's not possible to avoid stress completely, but you can learn to recognise when you are under stress, & your keyworker can help show you techniques & ways of dealing with it & getting through.

Stay calm & get some advice.


GETTING ON WITH YOUR LIFE


It can give you & your confidence quite a knock going through all this, & it may have made you lose touch with some of the things you used to like doing, or people you used to see.

DO try & build things back up again. As you do you may find your confidence gradually returns, especially if you keep active & are mixing with other people & going out. After all, sitting at home doing nothing isn't really much fun after a while. It might feel safe, but it's not gonna do anything for your confidence & enjoyment of life!

DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN DO
TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE
DO THINGS FOR YOURSELF
THINK FOR YOURSELF

I know this is easier said than done, but you may be surprised at what you can do if you put your mind to it, especially if you build it up slowly & gradually.

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Don't forget, there are people around who can help you get through all this. If you haven't got anyone at the moment, go & see your GP & they can refer you to someone who will help.



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