From a strictly historical perspective, the term psychosis indicates a person suffering from a mental illness or insanity. This term was coined in the nineteenth century, but later it became necessary to make a more precise distinction, identifying certain pathologies under a specific category and other pathologies under another specific category.
For this reason, a clarification was subsequently made, identifying certain mental illnesses under a different term. For this reason, it is appropriate to speak of the more recently used term, neurosis.
Both the first term and neurosis, over time and throughout history, have followed their own path, identifying specific mental illnesses each time. Therefore, when we speak of a disorder involving a person's mental sphere using the term psychotic, we are identifying a specific pathology.
So when we use the term "psychotic," we're identifying a disorder with specific characteristics. Let's look at what they are: (Source: Wikipedia)
The individual suffers from a severe psychiatric disorder;
The disorder causes the individual to experience a dimension completely detached from reality;
Due to their specific psychiatric condition, the individual is unable to carry out specific activities;
A person suffering from a psychotic disorder has a severely compromised range of emotions. In practice, they are unable to experience genuine feelings that impact the people they associate with in their daily lives. They experience emotional and affective detachment;
We can therefore state with some certainty that such a person presents a severely compromised condition. The alteration they suffer from affects their mental balance. For this reason, they are unable to perceive the reality around them properly, in addition to having a problem that impacts the thought patterns they are able to develop.
A person with such a problematic psychological condition, with evident alterations, exhibits specific and distinctive traits that we will examine in detail:
The individual suffering from these problems exhibits delusional manifestations (suffering from delusions associated with fear and depression);
The individual with such a psychiatric condition may suffer from hallucinatory syndromes (hallucinations);
The thought processes they develop are not rational, not governed by their emotions; they are disorganized;
Just as their thinking is disorganized, their behavior is governed by the same type of problem. They are not governed by a balanced and rational emotional sphere but are completely disorganized.
Psychotic manifestations can be further grouped into three specific segments, which we will examine:
In a non-problematic individual, the train of thought that develops is determined by random associations, verbal associations, and sound associations. In a person with these problems, thoughts are incoherent, with a clear disruption of the normal flow of associations, and consequently, the person also presents problems with communication.
They are unable to communicate an effective thought supported by a communication process characterized by coherence, congruence, and linearity.
A person suffering from this problem presents a train of thought with delusional content. One of the most well-known is certainly paranoia. However, delusions can vary in nature, ranging from delusions of persecution, religious delusions, or delusions of grandeur.
The disorders that a person suffering from these problems may experience are also related to their perception. These are hallucinatory syndromes that can affect the individual's senses. We can therefore discuss auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, olfactory hallucinations, and hallucinations related to touch and even taste.
Among those mentioned, the most common are auditory hallucinations, represented by voices that may be familiar or unfamiliar to the subject.
If we were to create a profile that perfectly matches a psychotic individual, we could say that this person exhibits a fundamental inability: the inability to deal with everyday problems.
This occurs because they are no longer able to develop a clear flow of thought and because, on the contrary, they are convinced that something or someone is deliberately and directly influencing their thought patterns.
A psychotic individual experiences severe limitations related to their work (they are no longer able to work in the same way as before). Specifically, it is as if they experience amnesia involving the usual work processes they used to carry out their job duties.
The problem seems to be linked to their ability to concentrate, which in this psychotic state is compromised and no longer allows them to carry out their work according to the thought patterns and work processes they had previously developed and based on which they carried out their work.
It's not just their work that's affected by the problem; their relational sphere, that which involves relationships with others, and their patterns of social interaction, exchange, and discussion, is compromised. Furthermore, the individual affected by psychosis, in addition to having obvious difficulties relating to others, may simply not want to do so (the confrontation denial phase).
Is there a specific age at which these disorders can manifest? Yes, we're talking about problems that a person experiences as early as adolescence or early adulthood.
Are there factors that influence the onset of these psychotic disorders? Yes, they can be organic, psychological, or related to the individual's mental makeup.
Are there specific signs that could be precursors to psychiatric illness? Yes, the individual begins a progressive process of isolation from social contexts and relationships in general, as well as experiencing a severe depressive phase. These are the first symptoms of the problem.
Psychosis involves a loss of contact with reality, while neurosis relates to emotional distress without delusions or hallucinations.
Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts, impaired perception, and emotional detachment.
Psychotic disorders often begin during adolescence or early adulthood.
Genetic predisposition, biological imbalances, psychological stress, and environmental triggers are key risk factors.
Treatment typically includes antipsychotic medications and psychotherapy to manage symptoms and improve functioning.
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychotic disorder. For comparison, see also the section on post-traumatic stress disorder.
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