1 - Defining Psychosis

Psychosis is a serious pathological (abnormal) state resulting in a loss of contact with reality. A person who suffers from such a severe mental illness is called psychotic. Psychotics experience periods when they are unable to make adequate distinctions between what is real and what is not. They may develop distorted interpretations of events. Thought patterns and emotions are abnormal, which interferes with their daily functioning. Psychotics will rarely admit that their actions are abnormal or unusual. Because they are out of touch with reality, psychotics are unaware of the extent of their mental disorders and are, therefore, not alarmed by their conditions. How can we distinguish psychosis from neurosis?

NEUROSIS PSYCHOSIS
• involves only a segment of the personality • affects the entire personality
• associated with key emotional problems • results from a malfunctioning of the brain
• does not involve a severe deterioration in intellectual capacity • may hinder intellectual ability
• affect only a limited range of experiences • affects all aspects of daily routines through dramatic mood disturbances
• does not interfere with day-to-day activities • results in inability to function adequately in ordinary society

Please remember that only someone with expert training in psychology can give a professional diagnosis. General characteristics of a psychotic person include

• lack of contact with reality
• extreme depression or excitement
• partial or complete withdrawal from social contacts with others
• confused ideas about people or objects
• hallucinations and/or delusions
• hostility in a minority of cases

Psychosis: Sarah's Story

What might cause people to become psychotic? There are two very different opinions on this question. First, a predisposition to some types of psychoses (plural of psychosis) may be inherited. That means a person has a “tendency” to have a certain condition, and if the right circumstances prevail, the illness will develop. It is yet unclear how strong the hereditary factor may be. Body chemistry (as determined through blood and urine samples) differs between the normal individual and the psychotic. Body chemistry also shows a variation between one psychotic and another depending on the particular disorder.

A second group of factors instrumental in the formation of psychotic conditions are environmental and social factors. Many people with mental illnesses come from very abusive home backgrounds. Chronic stress and conflicts in the child’s life, if severe enough, could lead to one or another form of psychosis.