When socialite Paris Hilton was unexpectedly removed from her jail cell after only serving three days, rumors of a psychotic break or nervous breakdown were rampant. Several days later, a spokesman for the corrections department stated that Hilton had indeed experienced a medical emergency he described as decompensating. Although medical professionals had been using the term for years, this was one of the first incidents in which the term "decompensating" was applied in a very public manner.
Decompensation describes a situation in which a prescribed course of treatment for a known condition fails, and the patient experiences the original side effects, pain and complications of the condition. In other words, the medicines or treatments designed to help the patient no longer protect him or her from relapsing. This form of decompensation is often associated with heart patients who fail to take their medications. Once the drugs which keep the patient stable leave the system, the patient's heart may begin decompensating.
In a mental health sense, if a patient who suffers from chronic depression either stops taking anti-depressants voluntarily or is denied regular access to them, his or her brain may begin to decompensate. The sudden change in serotonin levels, for instance, could send the patient back into a severe depression. Unless the proper balance is restored quickly, the patient could continue a downward spiral as his or her mind continues decompensating.
There are both physical and emotional symptoms which often indicate a person may be decompensating emotionally. When denied regular access to a support network, such as during a period of incarceration, someone with a pre-existing mental or emotional condition could experience hallucinations. Under ordinary circumstances, these hallucinations or other thoughts could be controlled with psychotherapy sessions or medication. But when a person is cut off from those options, he or she can begin decompensating quite rapidly. The end result could actually be a psychotic break or complete nervous breakdown. This was the concern which led corrections officers to transfer Paris Hilton out of her original jail cell.
The good news is that the effects of decompensation can often be reversed as soon as the patient's normal regimen is restored. In the case of Paris Hilton, for example, she was able to complete her sentence without incident after she received proper counseling and treatment for her condition. This is generally the goal for all who receive medical treatment for mental or emotional conditions. As long as the person continues to take his or her medications regularly or maintains a healthy support system, the risk of decompensating should be minimal.
