ABSTRACT
Severe interpersonal victimisation and its consequences can clearly contribute to the emotional distress of people with psychosis, as it does in other disorders. However, the degree to which trauma occurs, and can contribute to symptoms of psychosis is more controversial. In this chapter we attempt to clarify how psychological processes associated with reactions to trauma and threat memories may sometimes play a part in the maintenance of psychotic symptoms. In speculating about the pathway from stress and trauma to psychosis we consider four routes:
• Direct associations between intrusive memories of traumatic or stressful experiences and delusions and hallucinations.
