P. Romeo, A. La Cava
Abstract
The term “psychotic” indicates a loss of “judgment of reality,” which is usually associated with symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, and with a blurring of the boundaries of the Self. Mental disorders have traditionally been considered as distinct, episodic, and categorical conditions. This viewpoint has been challenged by evidence showing that many disorders are recurrent, chronic, and exist along a continuum.
Over time, researchers have examined the structure of psychopathology, considering dimensionality, persistence, and recurrence of mental disorders over twenty years, from adolescence to middle age. In particular, psychoses are a group of psychiatric disorders currently recognized by the presence of symptoms that, in addition to the lived experience of the affected individual, are characterized by novelty (hence the concept of “positive” symptoms), which are associated with a loss of contact with reality and generally with a lack of insight—that is, the degree of awareness and understanding that the individual has of being ill.
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