Q: My father (55 years old) is undergoing treatment for possession syndrome since last 7 months. He was a perfectly normal person 6 months prior to his treatment. He had engaged himself in REIKI therapy. In his attempt to learn this he used to concentrate a lot on a single point. He could do this for more than an hour without blinking his eyes. Then he started developing delusions of ghosts and dieties. His behaviour turned abnormal. He used to cross talk with them. He has been undergoing treatment and his condition has alleviated. He is still not 100 percent free of delusion and hallucinations. I'm trying my best to provide you with sufficient information so that you can guide me for further course of action.

A:What I can make out from the treatment is that your father is having a bipolar disorder, with psychotic features, or a psychotic episode (delusional disorder or schizophreniform illness). Although in absence of a detailed history I cant point out to the exactness of diagnosis, its more I can say based on the treatment strategy. The medications given seem good, and most are recent medications and are very good for these conditions. Also since scanning is normal that rules out any neurological issues. If the illness has come down significantly one has to maintain medications, and help the person have as much a normal routine as possible. Basically olanzepine, is a good compound and can be given at a higher dosage unless weight gain is a problem, or the dosage of the other medication, aripiprazole should be raised. The only thing that one can say is that medications are fine, but at lower dosage, and if there is an incomplete response, one can talk to treating psychiatrist to raise the dosage, although the treating psychiatrist is the best judge as he is seeing the patient.