Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Characteristic of or suffering from psychosis: Relating to, exhibiting, or caused by a severe mental disorder involving a loss of contact with reality, often including delusions or hallucinations.

2. Noun:

   • A person afflicted with psychosis: An individual who is experiencing or characterized by psychosis.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The patient was experiencing psychotic symptoms, including paranoid delusions.
  • A psychotic episode can be triggered by extreme stress or substance use.

• Noun:

  • The new medication is effective in treating psychotics.
  • He was diagnosed as a psychotic and required inpatient care.

Advanced Usage

• "Psychotic break": A sudden, acute episode of psychosis where an individual loses touch with reality.

  • After months of untreated anxiety, she suffered a psychotic break.

• "Psychotic disorder": A formal medical classification for mental illnesses where psychosis is a primary symptom, such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

  • Schizophrenia is one of the most well-known psychotic disorders.

Variants and Related Words

• Psychosis (n): The severe mental condition itself, characterized by a disconnection from reality.

  • The doctor explained that psychosis involves a break from consensual reality.

• Psychotically (adv): In a manner characteristic of psychosis.

  • He was psychotically fixated on the idea that he was being followed.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Insane, mad, certifiable (informal), non compos mentis (legal).
• Noun: Madman, lunatic (dated/offensive), mental patient.

Related Phrases

• "To have a psychotic reaction": To experience a sudden onset of psychotic symptoms, often in response to a stressor or drug.
  • Some individuals have a psychotic reaction to powerful stimulants.

Notes on Usage

• The term "psychotic" is a clinical descriptor. While accurate in medical contexts, it can be stigmatizing when used as a casual label for a person. The preferred modern usage often employs "person-first" language (e.g., "a person experiencing psychosis" rather than "a psychotic").
• It is distinct from psychopathic, which relates to antisocial personality disorder and a lack of empathy, not necessarily to a break from reality.

Adjective

1. characteristic of or suffering from psychosis

Noun

1. a person afflicted with psychosis