Recently, a 16-year-old boy from a Chandigarh school, Harshit Sharma, claimed to have received an incredible job offer from Google that promised to pay him Rs 12 lakh a month. After official enquires and statements from Google, it was revealed that no such offer was made. A doctor then diagnosed him with confusional psychosis. “The boy was brought in a confused state. He did not recognise anyone. He kept refusing food, and did not cooperate,” the doctor had said.
Clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany says, “I would call it a psychotic disorder. Those who suffer from it go away from reality. They see and experience things very differently. Disorientation is part of psychosis. The boy probably had a fractured self-esteem, and didn’t get validation. He might not have had a safety net at home. When we treat such patients, we ask them about their social support ecosystem,” she says.
In India, the taboo around mental health disorders is still strong. Many refuse to get help fearing judgement or being labelled. “Family members should be alert and bring their love one to a therapist if they see worrying signs,” Hingorrany says. “If a person is imagining birds/fictional TV characters speaking to them, and more importantly, if the person is talking back to them, that’s a sign of trouble. Often they have a fear of the dark or unknown. So they will avoid places like movie theatres. They might spend more time watching TV or on the internet as a way to avoid reality. They might tell you they feel scared, but may not tell you of what. People suffering from psychotic disorders are quite guarded.”
That’s all the more reason for families and friends to remain vigilant. Hingorrany shares a few more symptoms to watch out for:
•Becoming a recluse
•Eating too much or too less
•Mumbling to oneself
•Frequent crying
Hallucinations are a tell-tale sign of a mental health disorder. (Shutterstock)
Hingorrany lists other disorders which twist your idea of reality:
1) Schizophrenia
Those suffering from schizophrenia find it difficult to say what’s real and what’s not. Some symptoms include:
* Confused thought and speech
* Trouble concentrating
* Hallucinations
2) Dissociative Identity Disorder
Two or more distinct personalities exist in one individual. This usually happens because of trauma. Some of the symptoms include:
* Mood swings
* Losing track of time and sitting in the same position for hours
* Suicidal tendencies or thoughts
3) Traumatic Brain Injury
As the name suggests, this happens when an external force injures the brain. Some of the symptoms include:
* Difficulty in concentrating
* Difficulty in balancing
* Blurred vision
* Slurred speech
* Hallucinations
* Trouble with memoryFollow @htlifeandstyle for more
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