Psychosis:Inthe generalsense, a mental illness that markedly interferes with a person's capacity to meet life's everyday demands. In a specific sense, it refers to a thought disorder in which reality testing is grossly impaired.
Symptoms can include seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting things that are not there; paranoia; and delusional thoughts. Depending on theconditionunderlying the psychotic symptoms, symptoms may be constant or they may come and go.Psychosiscan occur as a result of brain injury ordisease, and is seen particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Psychotic symptoms can occur as a result of drug use, but this is not true psychosis.Diagnosisis by observation and interview.
Treatment is withneurolepticmedication新的,更安全,atypicalneuroleptics likerisperidone(brand name:Risperdal) or the older neuroleptics likehaloperidol(brand name:Haldol.) In cases that do not respond to medication,electroshock therapy(ECT) is sometimes valuable.
