The information here does not replace discussions with your doctor or healthcare professional team. For more information, speak to your doctor or healthcare professional team.
RELAPSE & RECOVERY
A relapse is when someone experiences another episode of their illness. With psychosis, some people will only ever have a single episode, but for many it is an illness which tends to come back every so often. Fortunately experiencing a relapse doesn’t mean that recovery isn’t happening or isn’t possible, sometimes it’s simply an unfortunate part of the process.
Having said that, avoiding relapse is usually one of the most important goals of treatment for psychosis. It goes without saying that avoiding what can be a very traumatic and unpleasant experience is important, but there are also other good reasons why relapse should be avoided as much as possible.
Relapse can mean disruption to life and lifestyle, so can really knock your confidence. It may mean needing to take time off work or school, or even having to stop work completely for a time. Relapse can sometimes mean a stay in hospital is needed.
Relapse can also be hard for friends and family, and can put pressure on relationships at a time when really you need support more than ever.
If relapse is severe or if symptoms continue for a long time, it may be more difficult to recover from. It’s generally thought that to have the best chance of a full recovery from psychosis, relapse should be avoided as much as possible.
It’s not known exactly why relapse happens, or how to prevent it completely but there are ways to maximise the chances of staying well.
It’s thought that the most important thing you can do is to continue to take medication regularly. Even missing one or two doses of medication can increase the chances of symptoms returning. The good news is that there are lots of ways to help improve regular medication taking such as having tablets put into a special pack which splits out each daily dose, or setting a reminder on your mobile or switching to an injectable form of treatment. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor about different strategies that may work for you.
Looking after yourself by avoiding excess alcohol, not using drugs such as marijuana, and minimising stress may also help to prevent relapse.
Early Warning Signs
People who have experienced psychosis before may be able to identify early warning signs of a relapse. These might include things like not sleeping well, feeling more anxiety than usual or voices becoming more noticeable again. If you notice early warning signs, talk to your doctor as soon as possible about how you can manage the symptoms and avoid a full-blown relapse. For example it may be possible to reduce stress at home, take some time out from work, or maybe talking to someone could help.
