Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality, usually including false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations).
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsA number of substances and medical conditions can cause psychosis, including:
Psychosis is also part of a number of psychiatric disorders, including:
Psychotic symptoms may include:
Psychiatric evaluation and testing are used to diagnose the cause of the psychosis.
Laboratory testing and brain scans may not be needed, but sometimes can help pinpoint the diagnosis. Tests may include:
Treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. Care in a hospital is often needed to ensure the patient's safety.
Antipsychotic drugs, which reduce hallucinations and delusions and improve thinking and behavior are helpful, whether the cause is a medical or psychiatric disorder.
See: Schizophrenia for more information about the treatment of psychosis.
Expectations (prognosis)How well a person does depends on the cause of the psychosis. If the cause can be corrected, the outlook is often good, and treatment with antipsychotic medication may be brief.
Some chronic conditions, such as schizophrenia, may need life-long treatment with antipsychotic medications to control symptoms.
ComplicationsPsychosis can prevent people from functioning normally and caring for themselves. If the condition is left untreated, people can sometimes harm themselves or others.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider or mental health professional if you or a member of your family is losing contact with reality. If there is any concern about safety, immediately take the person to the nearest emergency room to be seen by a doctor.
PreventionPrevention depends on the cause. For example, avoiding alcohol abuse prevents alcohol-induced psychosis.
ReferencesFreudenreich O, Weiss AP, Goff DC. Psychosis and schizophrenia. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 28.
Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality, usually including false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations).
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsA number of substances and medical conditions can cause psychosis, including:
Psychosis is also part of a number of psychiatric disorders, including:
Psychotic symptoms may include:
Psychiatric evaluation and testing are used to diagnose the cause of the psychosis.
Laboratory testing and brain scans may not be needed, but sometimes can help pinpoint the diagnosis. Tests may include:
Treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. Care in a hospital is often needed to ensure the patient's safety.
Antipsychotic drugs, which reduce hallucinations and delusions and improve thinking and behavior are helpful, whether the cause is a medical or psychiatric disorder.
See: Schizophrenia for more information about the treatment of psychosis.
Expectations (prognosis)How well a person does depends on the cause of the psychosis. If the cause can be corrected, the outlook is often good, and treatment with antipsychotic medication may be brief.
Some chronic conditions, such as schizophrenia, may need life-long treatment with antipsychotic medications to control symptoms.
ComplicationsPsychosis can prevent people from functioning normally and caring for themselves. If the condition is left untreated, people can sometimes harm themselves or others.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider or mental health professional if you or a member of your family is losing contact with reality. If there is any concern about safety, immediately take the person to the nearest emergency room to be seen by a doctor.
PreventionPrevention depends on the cause. For example, avoiding alcohol abuse prevents alcohol-induced psychosis.
ReferencesFreudenreich O, Weiss AP, Goff DC. Psychosis and schizophrenia. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 28.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 02/07/2010
David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Psychosis is a term that refers to an individual who is out of touch with reality. An example of psychosis is Schizophrenia.
Caucasian Psychosis was created in 1990.
Yes... Psychosis gets 100% cured.
Yes, schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. Psychosis is an abnormality in perception or expression of reality. Schizophrenia is a subtype of this.
The duration of Psychosis - film - is 1.48 hours.
"In his psychosis, he believed that he was a reincarnated Roman emperor." "Doctors who treat psychosis try to gain the trust of the patient."
Psychosis - film - was created on 2010-07-13.
when the psychosis does not have an organic basis, but originated from an external source ex. the child ate the led paint off the wall and later developed psychosis his psychosis was not organic but functional because the led pain may have cause it
Psychosis is a mental illness. Epilepsy is a physical illness. So there is no direct connection and psychosis will not cause seizures. Someone with psychosis could happen to have epilepsy, just as they could have any illness, but there would be no connection.
The singular of the word is psychosis (a mental illness) and the plural is psychoses.
Psychosis caused by severe alcoholism over a long period of years.
Dopamine and Serotonin are two neurotransmitters that are important in psychosis