Psychosis is a symptom, not an illness. It can be triggered by a mental illness, a physical injury or illness, substance abuse, or extreme stress or trauma. Psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia, involve psychosis that usually affects you for the first time in the late teen years or early adulthood.

Where does psychotic come from?

For full treatment, see mental disorder. The term psychosis is derived from the Greek psyche, meaning “soul,” “mind,” or “breath.” The ancient Greeks believed that the breath was the animating force of life and that when the breath left the body, as happened in death, the soul left the body.

When was psychosis first discovered?

The history of the concept of psychosis is traced from the time it was coined in 1845 to the present day. Originally, psychosis included the category of mental handicap, as well as certain other serious mental disorders.