psychosis
[si-ko´sis] (pl. psycho´ses) a state in which a person's mental capacity to recognize reality, communicate, and relate to others is impaired, thus interfering with the capacity to deal with life demands. adj.
adj psychot´ic. Mental disorders in which psychotic symptoms may be present include
mood disorders,
schizophrenia,
brief psychotic disorder,
delusional disorders,
schizophreniform disorder,
schizoaffective disorder,
shared psychotic disorder, and
pervasive developmental disorders.
alcoholic p's psychoses associated with alcohol use and involving organic brain damage, a category that includes alcohol withdrawal delirium, Korsakoff's syndrome, alcoholic hallucinosis, and alcoholic paranoia (concurrent paranoia and alcoholism).
brief reactive psychosis an episode of
brief psychotic disorder that is a reaction to a recognizable and distressing life event.
depressive psychosis older term for a psychosis characterized by severe depression, which is now more commonly described as a form of major depressive disorder.
postpartum psychosis a psychotic episode occurring during the postpartum period.
senile psychosis depressive or paranoid delusions or hallucinations or similar mental disorders due to degeneration of the brain in old age, as in senile dementia.
toxic psychosis that due to ingestion of toxic agents or to the presence of toxins within the body.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.