The Loss of an Imaginary Friend

Coping with Psychotic Disorders: The Loss of an Imaginary Friend

Psychotic features occur in many mental disorders defined by the DSM 5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth version), such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, substance induced psychosis and others. The relationship individuals experiencing psychosis with their delusions and hallucinations may be two-fold. For example, some delusions and hallucinations may be persecutory and threatening, while others may be erotomanic, of reference and of grandiosity. The latter part is the focus of the present short paper.

Thus, likely the disorder most widely discussed in the literature among mental illnesses is schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is characterized by several symptoms, which can be clustered in positive and negative disorders. In this case, the terms do not have the same connotation as the words positive and negative usually do, but refer to states which such not be there, but are; and, conversely, to elements which should be present but are absent, respectively. To illustrate the former refers to hallucinations and delusions, while the latter point to flat affect (complete lack of expressed emotion) and social withdrawal.

Imaginary Friend. Image: Elena

More often than not, psychology and other mental health professionals tend to agree that schizophrenia per se has no cure at the moment. The emphasis here is on the exclusion of psychiatrists from the discussion, since psychiatrists are doctors, went to to medical school and their contribution the the present discussion carries more weight than is intended for the present short essay. Indeed, none of the articles on the present Website have to with helping individuals, they merely constitute educated opinion and anybody in a situation necessitating professional help is urged to consult a real, licensed psychiatrist or simply get to their nearest emergency centre.

Further, when someone suffering from delusions, as evidenced by testimonials received over the years from readers, it appears that some people remain quite content with their hallucinations and disorders, but for those who suffer, seek help and start treatment with antipsychotic medication, the situation changes and gradually they begin to see and understand that their delusions and hallucinations were only a product of their imagination, and more precisely of their disease. Clearly, if one has persecutory delusions and paranoid ideas, the medication brings about a relief. However, for a person who had an imaginary friend or intense erotomanic delusions, getting better can, paradoxically, bring feelings of sadness, of loss, of meaninglessness and even lead to depression.