Psychosis

Excerpt

Psychosis is an amalgamation of psychological symptoms resulting in a loss of contact with reality. The current thinking is that although around 1.5 to 3.5% of people will meet diagnostic criteria for a psychotic disorder, a significantly larger, variable number will experience at least one psychotic symptom in their lifetime. Psychosis is a common feature to many psychiatric, neuropsychiatric, neurologic, neurodevelopmental, and medical conditions. It is the hallmark feature of schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, a co-occurring aspect to many mood and substance use disorders, as well as a challenging symptom to many neurologic and medical conditions. Psychosis can result in high levels of distress for patients and loved ones, which is why it has become a primary target of treatment for medical professionals.