Bart suffered several psychoses: ‘I had to learn to accept it myself, but so did my parents and brothers’
How do you deal withYou often read stories about people who themselves are ill or have a condition, but how do you actually deal with this as a partner, family member or friend? In this section, experts give practical tips. This week we ask Bart de Ruijter (50) how his environment reacted to his sensitivity to psychosis.
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When he was 19, De Ruijter had his first psychosis. “I went into rooms for the first time. Living in a different city, meeting new friends, joining a student association and passing my exams caused a lot of stress, they were triggers for me.”
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Four other psychoses followed until he was 35, including one that lasted two months, for which he was admitted. “I had to learn to accept it myself, but so did my parents and brothers,” says De Ruijter. “Especially for my parents it was confronting and difficult to accept. At the time, little was known about psychosis sensitivity. Yet my parents have always helped me and tried to find the best care for me.”
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De Ruijter has been stable for 17 years now, he wrote a book about his experiences and works as an experience expert. “You can recover from the disease, but you cannot cure it. The vulnerability will always remain.”
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Lost contact with reality
“In the past this was also called schizophrenia, but that term has become obsolete and today we speak of psychosis sensitivity,” says Jim van Os, professor of psychiatry at UMC Utrecht. Psychosis is a psychological condition in which a person experiences the world very differently from his environment. Someone may then be confused and anxious, suffer from hallucinations and/or have delusions. For example, a person may hear voices, think he is in contact with Jesus, or feel that he is being chased. There are both positive and negative psychoses. The professor emphasizes that there is still a stigma surrounding psychosis sensitivity: “For example, the idea that people are dangerous or have multiple personalities.”
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With a little medication and lifestyle adjustments, such as enough sleep, less stress, healthy food, meditation and therapy you can learn to live with it
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“When we are stressed, anxious or depressed, we can all become a little suspicious and suspicious. It is exactly the same with people who are sensitive to psychosis, only they see too much meaning in the world around them and they are more likely to search for everything behind it. A traumatic experience, abuse, stress, drug use or a lot of alcohol can trigger psychoses.”
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If someone finds out that he or she is sensitive to psychosis, it can be difficult to find a balance during the first five years. “But with a little medication and lifestyle changes, such as adequate sleep, less stress, healthy food, meditation and therapy, you can learn to live with it,” says Van Os.
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How do you recognize a psychosis?
“During psychosis, these people see a different world. Often it is about mistrust, and it is thought that someone is after them. For example, that the conversation on the radio is about them or that they get a sign from aliens. They hear their inner voice like someone else’s,” says Van Os.
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It is important that you continue to see the person behind the psychosis, continues the professor. Talking to someone about the AIVD who is after him can be frightening. “But in essence, these statements are a metaphor for human concerns and fears that we all have, only these fears express themselves in a strong way in psychosis-prone people. And don’t try to contradict the logic of psychosis, but connect with the underlying fears and worries.”
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Show empathy, ask where the fears come from and give someone the space to explain it
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If someone has a headache, don’t say it’s impossible. In this case, therefore, avoid statements such as: ‘You are crazy’. “Show empathy, ask where the fears come from and give someone the space to explain it.” The professor emphasizes that you should not go against psychosis: you must realize that you cannot talk someone out of psychosis.
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Don’t keep plodding alone
In addition, it can help as a parent or partner not to continue to struggle on your own. “Talk about it with friends and family and share your knowledge about psychosis sensitivity. Also involve the person with psychosis sensitivity and try to find solutions. This way you can be alert together if things are not going well with the person. It can also help to share experiences in a peer group such as Ypsilon or Vereniging Anoiksis.”
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When someone is out of psychosis, you as a loved one can worry about recovery. Van Os emphasizes that it is very understandable that you are concerned about, for example, alcohol and drug use, which can trigger psychosis. “But recovery also comes with some kind of risk. You should ensure that you act as a police officer or social worker, in that case it is better to enlist the help of a professional. “It is important that they get their own lives back in order and learn to live with their sensitivities, because that is quite possible.”
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What does De Ruijter think of the advice? “Clear explanation. I would also like to say to the family that it is important to seek good help, if necessary request a second opinion.”
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