Writer Heleen van den Hoof Shares Early Warning System for Psychosis Prevention
AMSTERDAM – Writer Heleen van den Hoof is sharing insights into her personal strategies for preventing psychotic episodes, honed over three decades as experiencing her first psychosis in 1993. Van den Hoof’s ability to recognize and respond to early warning signs offers a beacon of hope for the estimated 1% of the population worldwide who experience psychosis, and underscores the importance of self-awareness in mental health management. Her experience highlights a growing emphasis on proactive mental healthcare and the power of individualized coping mechanisms.
For van den Hoof,recognizing the subtle shifts before a full psychotic break is key. Following the unexpected death of a friend last year, she realized she was re-entering a “hazardous period,” a pattern she now understands involves a gradual escalation of symptoms. This realization, coupled with her established self-monitoring techniques, allowed her to avert a third psychotic episode. “I know and recognize it,” she explains. “I know that sleep is significant to me and that there has to be regularity. I can kind of monitor myself.”
The process, as she describes it, isn’t sudden. It begins with periods of mania and hypomania, characterized by increased activity, talkativeness, sleep disturbances, and appetite changes. “you don’t become psychotic in one day,” she says. “You slowly slip into it.” Van den Hoof distinguishes between her first psychosis and a subsequent episode in 1999, stating she doesn’t fully ”count” the latter because she remained more grounded in reality.
She defines psychosis as a detachment from reality, marked by paranoia, misinterpretation of signs, and hallucinations – “you really go crazy. It’s very strange.” Despite this understanding, van den hoof expresses optimism about her future mental wellbeing, stating, ”so I think, and I’m knocking it, that I won’t become psychotic again anytime soon.” Notably, she currently manages her mental health without preventative medication, describing her experience as a “light version” that doesn’t necessitate pharmaceutical intervention.
