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Psychology vocabulary · Mental Health Conditions

Psychosis

Meaning in psychology, with examples

/saɪˈkəʊsɪs/nounCommon term

In psychology, psychosis means: A state in which a person loses some contact with reality, usually experiencing hallucinations, delusions or very disorganised thinking.

In Turkish: psikoz

How it is used

A description of symptoms rather than a single diagnosis: it can occur in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression or with drug use. Services talk about first-episode psychosis and early intervention in psychosis. The adjective is psychotic.

Example sentences

  1. She was admitted to hospital during her first episode of psychosis at the age of 19.

  2. Heavy cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of psychosis in young people.

Common collocations

  • first-episode psychosis
  • early intervention in psychosis
  • psychotic symptoms
  • drug-induced psychosis
  • schizophreniaA serious mental disorder involving psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions, together with disorganised thinking and reduced motivation or emotional expression.
  • bipolar disorderA mood disorder in which a person has episodes of mania or hypomania, with very high energy and mood, usually alternating with episodes of depression.
  • mental disorderA clinically significant pattern of disturbance in thinking, emotion or behaviour that causes distress or problems in daily functioning, as defined in systems such as DSM-5 and ICD-11.
  • symptomA change in thinking, feeling, behaviour or the body that a person experiences and reports, and that may point to a health problem.

More terms: Mental Health Conditions

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