ABSTRACT

The term ‘psychosis’ was first coined in the nineteenth century to denote a range of mental changes occurring in the context of a serious mental illness. It remains a broad, non-specific term that does not, in itself, reflect a clinical disorder. Symptoms of psychosis occur in several psychiatric disorders, as well as in the wider general population. Neurobiological causes of psychotic disorders also propose a role for changes in the brain. Psychotic symptoms in psychotic major depression may be treated with a combination of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications or electroconvulsive therapy. The most common psychological therapy for psychotic disorders is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for psychosis. It involves assisting the person to develop an adaptive understanding of their experiences, helping them to restructure appraisals in relation to distress and personal challenges, and changing the person’s relationship with their internal experiences.