Trauma and Psychosis: An Ecological Approach

Abstract

When we talk about psychotic disorders, we should keep in mind that it is a very heterogeneous group of psychiatric disorders. It would be more accurate to talk about psychoses as a syndrome, that is, a feature of the clinical picture that can be caused by very diverse causes and is present in very diverse psychiatric disorders. In other words, psychosis is a feature of the clinical picture in which delusional thoughts and hallucinations prevail, in various psychiatric disorders. Psychotic clinical pictures can be present from dementia, acute psycho-organic syndromes, various addictions, mood disorders to schizophrenia, which are most often identified with psychoses, which is vicium artis. Environmental factors or ecological factors, as indicated in the title, according to our school of psychiatry, are very important factors in the emergence of psychotic clinical pictures in addition to biological and psychological ones. It should be noted that an acute or chronic psychoorganic syndrome without environmental stimulation in the form of light, day, clock or calendar will certainly have a more pronounced psychotic clinical picture. Addictions to alcohol and other addictions are an excellent example of how environmental factors can influence the clinical picture and the appearance of psychotic clinical pictures superimposed on the addiction. The means of addiction itself is an external factor that changes the quality of psychopathology, and if we add to that the ecological systems in which the individual lives and acts, for example, the work or family environment or other groups in which the individual affected by addiction acts, then the connection between ecological systems and psychopathology, trauma and psychosis becomes clearer. Mood disorders with psychotic clinical pictures become particularly complicated due to environmental factors and psychotraumatic events. Schizophrenics are particularly sensitive to environmental and traumatic events. Environmental factors play a special role in the formation of psychopathology, especially psychotic quality. Environmental factors such as deprivation, isolation, placement in an institution, lack of social contacts, etc. are true pathoplastic factors in the formation of the psychopathology of schizophrenia.