Tremors and delusions: the border between psychosis and stigma

Tremors, delusions and the stigma of mild psychosis

Just a few seconds of trembling were enough for one person to believe his brother had to "get out of his body". The reaction, which he himself described as "irrational", reveals a set of symptoms diagnosed as "very mild psychosis", probably triggered by marijuana use. The man, who points to his job as a tree pruner to explain certain behaviours such as starting a chainsaw, also describes episodes of fleeting delusions and hypersensitivity to other people's reactions: a girl laughing from a balcony, a yellow raincoat hung up as a provocation.

The diagnosis behind the actions

The account includes an explicit admission of being on antipsychotics, though with irregular adherence —"one day yes, one day no"— which would explain behaviours such as wedging doors shut or filling an inflatable pool in the bedroom. Those listening from the outside are quick to label: "mild psychosis" and "spectrum of illness" were the terms he received at the start. He himself distinguishes between the disorder and his abilities: "I scare people with my intelligence". Living next to neighbours who, he claims, use synthetic testosterone and cocaine adds a layer of tension to his environment.

The weight of other people's gaze

The testimony shows how a lack of social understanding amplifies distress. The childish taunts from the balcony, the feeling of being watched and the need to justify every action as part of a job or a way of saving money map out a landscape of stigma. "We go into panic mode", he sums up, while insisting he is not superstitious thanks to his father's teaching. But antiestéticar of himself persists: "I've scared myself".

Anyone who has lived through psychotic episodes knows that uncertainty is the worst symptom. Without a firm diagnosis, without full adherence to treatment, what remains is the trembling and the feeling of possession that —at least at first— he tried to conjure away by asking his brother to come out. The question hanging in the air is whether the health and social system is prepared to support these cases without judging or incivil them.