It must be emphasised that this is by no means an exhaustive list of stressful life events, because the events which trigger brief reactive psychosis tend, due to the individualistic nature of human psychology, to be extremely personalized. BRP may be the first breakdown for someone with a chronic psychiatric disorder but only time will tell whether the disorder will be brief or lifelong, whether BRP or a chronic condition that is controlled well enough by medication that symptoms do not return.The condition usually resolves spontaneously within a time span of weeks to months, with the severity of the symptoms reducing continuously over the period in question. A primary goal of treatment is to prevent patients who are either suicidal or homicidal from harming themselves or others during the episode. Cause/pathophysiology
The exact cause of brief psychotic disorder is not known. One theory suggests a genetic link, because the disorder is more common in people who have family members with mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Another theory suggests that the disorder is caused by poor coping skills, as a defense against or escape from a particularly frightening or stressful situation. These factors may create a vulnerability to develop brief psychotic disorder. In most cases, the disorder is triggered by a major stress or traumatic event. In females, a low estrogen state (which may occur premenstrual, postpartum, or perimenopausal) can trigger sudden, short-lived psychosis. The psychosis is often linked to an underlying bipolar or schizophrenic condition.
It is believed to be connected to or synonymous with a variety of culture-specific phenomena such as latah, koro, and amok. Classification
There are three forms of brief psychotic disorder:
BPD with a marked stressor (a.k.a. brief reactive psychosis): if BPD symptoms occur in following personal events (single or multiple) that would be expected to cause significant stress to an average individual. BPD without a marked stressor: if BPD symptoms do not occur in following personal events (single or multiple) that would be expected to cause significant stress to an average individual. BPD with postpartum onset: if onset of BPD symptoms is during pregnancy or within 4 weeks after birth. BPD with a marked stressor (brief reactive psychosis)
Brief reactive psychosis (designated since the DSM IV-TR as "brief psychotic disorder with marked stressor(s), BRP"), is the psychiatric term for psychosis which can be triggered by an extremely stressful event in the life of an individual and eventually yielding to a return to normal functioning.Brief reactive psychosis generally follows a recognisably traumatic life event like divorce or homelessness, but may be triggered by any subjective experience which appears catastrophic to the person affected. Among such stressors are the death of a loved one, professional loss such as unexpectedly losing ones job or otherwise becoming unemployed, or serious adverse changes in the patients personal life, such as the breakdown of their family through divorce, etc.