Travel with a trusted friend, family member of professional travel companion. Plan ahead: Choose a low stress destination, consider time zone changes, take direct flights or routes, and recognize stress factors and warning signs that could lead to a psychotic episode. Consult your mental health professional before a trip to ensure that it is an appropriate activity for you. Travellers who are actively managing and controlling schizophrenia can travel safely. Refrain from using caffeine or psychoactive substances like alcohol or cannabis. How can I manage my psychotic disorder while travelling?ĭue to the unexpected nature of acute situational psychosis, it is important to know your physical and mental limits, get adequate sleep, eat healthy foods, and stay hydrated. Abandonment by travel companions is common due to not understanding or tolerating their friend’s erratic behaviour. Emotional outbursts, the inability to complete tasks, and disorganized thoughts can put you at risk. The illness usually develops during the late teens to mid/late 20s, a time when many young people travel abroad. Unfamiliar environments, a disrupted daily routine, language barriers, difficulty understanding social mores, and using psychoactive substances such as alcohol or cannabis can threaten the mental and physical well-being of a traveller with schizophrenia. Travel does not cause schizophrenia, but it can trigger a psychotic episode. It affects how you feel, think, behave, and relate to others, including lack of motivation in daily life and reduced social interactions. Schizophrenia is an illness that disrupts the brain’s functioning. This can cause travellers to become detached from reality and can lead to delusional thoughts and behaviours. In this case, travellers become ‘intoxicated’ and overwhelmed by their surroundings. Tourists on religious or historical trips can also suddenly exhibit symptoms of psychosis. Exposure to a physically and mentally demanding environment without proper sleep, irregular food and fluid intake, including substance misuse, can cause the mind to react to the body’s stress resulting in psychosis. Extreme mood changes (exhilaration, depression)Īdventure travellers are at greater risk of developing acute situational psychosis.Disorganized behaviour (difficulty completing daily tasks).Hallucinations (hearing voices, seeing images).Disrupted thinking patterns (difficulty concentrating, disconnected thoughts).Your physical and mental condition, surroundings, or medication regimen may trigger a psychotic episode. In addition to managing stress, recognizing the warning signs of psychosis and knowing where to get help abroad are key to a safe trip.Īcute situational psychosis occurs suddenly and can be triggered by your circumstances. You can suddenly experience a psychotic episode while travelling without a prior history of mental illness. It is a serious medical condition that affects how you think, function, and behave. Psychosis occurs when a person loses contact with reality and cannot distinguish between what is and what is not real. Understanding Travel Health Insurance: Terms you need to know.How to Protect Yourself Against Malaria.
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