Last comment from me (a person who has experienced major episodes of psychosis and is now recovered) on the question asked about how to deal with a relative coming out with delusions of persecution. I completely agree with the psychiatrists here that the best approach is to not agree with the delusions, but to show concern and empathy. Even when I had no insight that I was ill, I was still able to intuit the emotions coming off the person I was talking to, and people who were calm and kind really helped to soothe me and I was more likely to trust them. This approach is not infallible but is definitely the best approach to take in my opinion.
I remember despairing about the size of the problem facing people with mental health problems when they are negotiating the benefits system, and a friend of mine who is a RMN said to me “it’s true that you can’t fix all that for them, but you can help one person at a time”. So Thomas’ words reminded me of her good advice which really helped me at the time
Erick Wales has a Substack called The Manic Messiah where he relates his experiences with psychosis and how it felt to him. Any students following this podcast- feel free to check it out
Last comment from me (a person who has experienced major episodes of psychosis and is now recovered) on the question asked about how to deal with a relative coming out with delusions of persecution. I completely agree with the psychiatrists here that the best approach is to not agree with the delusions, but to show concern and empathy. Even when I had no insight that I was ill, I was still able to intuit the emotions coming off the person I was talking to, and people who were calm and kind really helped to soothe me and I was more likely to trust them. This approach is not infallible but is definitely the best approach to take in my opinion.
I remember despairing about the size of the problem facing people with mental health problems when they are negotiating the benefits system, and a friend of mine who is a RMN said to me “it’s true that you can’t fix all that for them, but you can help one person at a time”. So Thomas’ words reminded me of her good advice which really helped me at the time
Erick Wales has a Substack called The Manic Messiah where he relates his experiences with psychosis and how it felt to him. Any students following this podcast- feel free to check it out