Trauma-informed Care Promoting Recovery from Psychosis

Abstract

Research confirms that a traumatic experience, especially during childhood, is associated with an increased risk of psychosis and that psychosis is also associated with an increased risk of PTSD. People with psychosis and a history of trauma have a poor response to medication and a worse prognosis, which adversely affects their recovery. During the psychiatric treatment of a person with psychosis, they are rarely asked about their personal experience of trauma, which results in inadequate treatment planning. The main obstacle to the optimal treatment and recovery of these people is the neglect of the bio-psycho-social approach because it is still considered that psychosis is exclusively biologically conditioned and neglects the psychological approach and psychosocial interventions. The paper presents data related to the prevalence of trauma-related psychosis and the consequences of trauma on recovery. It describes a trauma-informed recovery approach that represents a framework for the organization of treatment that helps people overcome the negative consequences of trauma and promotes recovery.