Psychosis is characterized by severe loss of contact with reality. It can cause delusions, hallucinations, and various forms of bizarre behavior. However, psychosis is not a mental health disorder itself. Rather, it is a symptom of a disorder or other mental health disorders such as depression or severe anxiety.
Most experts believe that there is not one single factor that causes the development of a psychosis. Instead, a nervous system dysfunction can combine with other physical factors, such as an infection, an emotional stressor such as the loss of a loved one, substance abuse or trauma to create a psychotic episode.
Diagnosing psychosis is often related to diagnosis of the underlying cause. If a non-psychological psychosis is suspected during the evaluation, then a doctor may perform blood tests, drug screening, or brain scans. In psychological psychoses, there are several types of psychotic disorders and mental health disorders which can cause psychosis as a symptom. Each of these has its own distinct diagnostic criteria. However, what separates a psychological psychosis from normal psychosis is that it cannot be related to another problem or be due to the effects of a drug.
The foremost goal of treatment is to control the psychotic symptoms. In severe cases or when patients are at risk of harming themselves or others, hospitalization may be necessary.
Behavior therapy can help patients deal with psychoses, as well as help them and their families learn coping techniques. However, therapy alone is rarely successful in controlling symptoms. Depending on the actual cause, therapy may be effective for curing the underlying condition.