psychosis

C2 Topic:Psychology & Behavior

US /saɪˈkoʊsɪs/ UK /saɪˈkəʊsɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #18415

Meanings

1

noun
a severe mental state involving impaired contact with reality, often including delusions or hallucinations

The clinician distinguished acute psychosis from ordinary emotional distress.
2

noun
historical psychology: the total mental process or organization of the mind

The older author used psychosis for the mental process initiated by bodily change.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a severe mental state... psychotic disorderloss of reality testing

2 noun · historical psychology: the... mental processpsychic state

Opposites

lucidityreality testing

Word family

Derived forms psychotic

Related forms delusion hallucination psyche

Etymology

Formed from psych- ("mind") + -osis ("condition, process"), or directly from Ancient Greek psykhosis ("animation"). Its modern clinical sense developed in nineteenth-century psychiatry.

Topics

Psychology & Behavior Abstract Ideas Register & Style

External links

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