How to Act in Case of Psychotic Episode, According to Expert

A psychotic episode is defined by the difficulty in distinguishing reality from imagination and can be caused by diseases or substance abuse. On Thursday (6), former state deputy from PT Paulo Frateschi, 75, died in São Paulo. According to police reports, the victim’s son, identified as Francisco Frateschi, 34, ‘stabbed his father during a psychotic episode.’ Further details about the nature of the episode were not disclosed. During an acute psychotic episode, the patient may become aggressive, agitated, anxious, and suffer from insomnia due to persecution ideas, says Mario Louzã, coordinator of the Schizophrenia Program at the Institute of Psychiatry of Hospital das Clínicas, USP. Mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s, and some forms of epilepsy can have psychotic symptoms, explains Louzã.