Psychosis has been traditionally defined as a loss of reality testing and impairment of mental functioning, with hallucinations, delusions, confusion, and poor memory occurring. People incorrectly evaluate the validity of their perceptions and thoughts, leading to incorrect conclusions about the world around them. This will occur even when contradictory evidence is presented. Minor distortions in reality, such as might accompany depression or anxiety, do not represent psychosis.
Commonly, psychosis now describes a severe impairment of social and personal functioning, with attendant social withdrawal. It thusly has lost
Most people with psychosis are aware of it and are distressed by it.
delusions - fixed, false beliefs that you cannot talk someone out of
hallucinations - auditory most common
aimless, inappropriate, or bizarre behaviour
disorganized thought form and thought content
hostility
Thought to involve mesolimbic system
can be some of the earliest symptoms and have the most impact on functioning
"a part of your brain comes out that you never can use"