Oddly enough, I have two (count ‘em two) people in my
inner circle who have recently experienced psychosis. Granted, the source of
their inability to navigate cognitivity was different, but the end product was,
for all intents and purposes, the same.
My daughter, "Marge" has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia,
and over the past twenty years has experienced several bouts of psychosis; as
the result of unexpected toxicity levels of her medications, or a need to
increase or change types or dosages of the same.
Sadly, my daughter has been committed to mental
facilities in Florida and West Virginia twice, for a total of two years, along
with several other short-term hospitalizations. During these periods Marge
lost touch with reality, walked around in a stupor, babbled about religious
topics, and experienced hallucinations.
My mother, "Esther" resides in a local nursing home in
Florida. Amazingly, she has 37 physical and cognitive diagnoses, including
diabetes, osteoporosis, cataracts, high blood pressure, previous hip and spinal
fractures with subsequent surgeries, and dementia.
Recently my mother “decompensated,” as the result of
an opiate pain patch. Thankfully her condition was a temporary development, as
her physician was savvy enough to discontinue the patch in favor of a pill.
As a result, my mother’s long and short-term memory
suffered badly, she questioned whether my late grandmother and father were
still alive, and thought she was living in my parent’s former vacation home in
North Carolina. On a recent visit, my mother asked how long it had taken me to
drive there. To which I answered, “Oh, about 10 minutes.” Of course, she offered
me an incredulous look, and summarily changed the subject.
It seems to me that people in the foregoing state of
mind move through four stages; (given they have the good fortune to transcend
their psychotic state of mind).
*Knowing that you know that you (really do) know
*Knowing that you know what you (really don’t) know
*Knowing that you know that you (really didn’t) know
*Knowing that you know that you (really do) know
I’ve never heard it described in this manner. Perhaps
I’ve stumbled upon a theory which will change behavioral science.
I doubt it, but I think this description allows a
person like you or I to grasp the process of “leaving and coming back” a bit
better.
By William McDonald. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 4
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