This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!) Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. This article has been tagged since July 2007.
Brief reactive psychosis is the psychiatric term for psychosis which can be triggered by an extremely stressful event in the life of a patient. This 'stressful life event' can take many forms, including (but not limited to) the death of a loved one, professional loss such as unexpected redundancy or otherwise becoming unemployed, or serious adverse changes in the patient's personal life, such as the breakdown of their family through divorce, etc. Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a loss of contact with reality. Stedmans Medical Dictionary defines psychosis as a severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration...
It must be stressed that this is by no means an exhaustive list of stressful life events, because the events which trigger brief reactive psychosis tend, due to the individualistic nature of human psychology, to be extremely personalized.
The condition usually spontaneously resolves itself within two weeks, and the main goal of treatment is to prevent the patient from harming either themself or others.
Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for mental states in which the components of rational thought and perception are severely impaired.
Psychosis is considered by mainstream psychiatry to be a symptom of severe mental illness, but not a diagnosis in itself.
Psychosis should also be distinguished from the state of delirium, in that a psychotic individual may be able to perform actions that require a high level of intellectual effort in clear consciousness.
Feeds |
Contact