psychotic

UK/ˌsaɪˈkɒtɪk/US/ˌsaɪˈkɒtɪk/

adjectiveC2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speech — psychosis sits at #7,369leans spokentechnical · an editor’s judgement

Psychotic describes a state in which somebody has lost contact with reality. Hallucinations, or beliefs nothing can shift.

It is a clinical term with a precise meaning, and psychosis is a symptom rather than a diagnosis, appearing in schizophrenia, severe depression, some physical illnesses and certain drug reactions. Most people experiencing it are far more likely to be harmed than to harm anybody, which is the opposite of what films suggest. Using it loosely to mean violent or unpredictable is inaccurate and does real damage.

Definitions of psychotic

1adjectivepsychoticExperiencing a loss of contact with reality.C2
“He was treated for a psychotic episode and recovered fully.”

Where it comes from

Ancient Greek
ψύχωσις — animation, principle of life
English
psychosis
English, today
psychotic

Derived in English from psychosis + -tic; compare French psychotique, German psychotisch. Attested from the late 19th century. Compare earlier neurotic. psychosis comes from psych- + -osis. Not related to Ancient Greek ψύχωσις (“animation, principle of life”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 22 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

psychotic in the wild

Withdrawal from antipsychotics can cause insomnia, tremors, and psychotic symptoms.
Antipsychotic
Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoherent thoughts or speech.
Psychosis
The main diagnostic criterion is the presence of psychotic symptoms for at least two weeks without prominent mood symptoms.
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizoaffective disorder can often be misdiagnosed when the correct diagnosis may be psychotic depression, bipolar I disorder, schizophreniform disorder, or schizophrenia.
Schizoaffective disorder
Stimulant psychosis, also known as stimulant-induced psychotic disorder, is a mental disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, severe paranoia, disorganized thinking, and grossly disorganized behavior.
Stimulant psychosis

1 / 2

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

psychosis

← Vocabulary