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A relapse of psychosis can be precipitated by a traumatic or overwhelming event or series of events, can occur simply due to the nature of the illness, or can occur because of stopping medication either against medical advice or with the blessing of a well-intentioned but mistaken psychiatrist.  

Once the symptoms are up and running, it is likely that the relapsing individual, if they haven't already stopped medication, will. If medication taken for a number of years is stopped, there is a backlash in which it seems as if the brain has been inundated with a bad reaction of tsunami-like force. Symptoms and other stimuli flood the brain, and the individual is in for a very, very rough ride. 

Stopping psych medications is not the same thing as a heroin or alcohol detox, because you don't find sobriety on the other side. Instead, you find that the illness progresses unchecked; it worsens to the point where you might never fully get back your faculties, including when medication is reinstated.  

It is important to prevent relapses of psychosis. I have had three relapses, and after each, it took longer than the previous relapse to get back to square one--in which I felt like things were fairly normal. It takes literally years to regain basic functioning of the mind. If the mind isn't working right, nothing is working.  

The mind defines your basic experience of life. If you have a brain that malfunctions in its ability to be aware of the environment, in its ability to be self-aware, and in its ability to communicate with itself, this means the basic experience of life is shattered.  

Mental illnesses are often very profound disorders in the brain. The tools we currently have to view the brain of a psychotic person are thermal imaging and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This does not tell us, in a living person, what is happening on a cellular or a synaptic level. For that, scientists need a deceased person. Information from a deceased person's brain may not tell us enough. We have limited understanding of what happens dynamically in the brain of a psychotic person.  

We know that something goes wrong--the individual is unable to adapt to the basic necessities of life, the mind has split off from what we consider reality, and the individual could be gravely disabled, violent, or both.  

My observation of my own mind is that I see a misrouting of information flow. Data that should remain in the subconscious has risen to the level of the conscious mind. Additionally, wiring that shouldn't be there bypasses and short-circuits necessary processing.  

Flawed assumptions are instantly accepted and incorporated, and the erroneous products of these assumptions, delusions, become the new assumptions. Once delusions become assumptions, the brain creates even more distorted delusions in consciousness, and these in turn become assumptions.  

This faulty information flow damages the brain. This happens because certain areas of the brain are overdriven and do not have a chance to recuperate, while other areas of the brain go unused.  

Antipsychotic medications make the synapses more inhibited. This often alleviates the bad information flow, but it also affects other aspects of mental processing, making it difficult to do things that most people probably take for granted.  

Over the years, I have adapted to being medicated. I have put a great deal of effort into life, and this has had a good effect on my brain condition. For many, it seems hard to make an effort while taking psychiatric medication. However, it can begin with making an effort to make an effort. 

Taking medication doesn't change who you are. People exist on multiple levels, and we are not consciously aware of many of these levels. People exist on a deeper level than what can be found in the brain. You are not your brain; you are the individual who uses your brain. If one's brain has problems, it is not a reflection on character.  

The brain is our portal to physical existence. If the brain isn't working, we have limited ability to be who we truly are.  

If you have had one or more relapses, do not be discouraged. Instead, make a commitment that you will try to prevent it from happening again; usually this is achieved through cooperation with treatment. Eventually, the brain's condition can improve. But don't wait for that to happen before you begin doing things that bring you enjoyment.