Psychosis: The Concept Of Schizophrenia

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The term psychosis is derived from the Greek word psyche, meaning soul, mind or breath. The ancient Greeks believed that the breath was the force of life, thus when the last breath left the body, the soul left the body. Because words containing the root psyche (e.g. psychiatrist, psychiatry, psychology, etc.) are related to the soul or human spirit, psychosis has to do with the abnormality of the mind and soul. It is a wide concept comprising a number of disorders (17).
Psychosis as a concept was first introduced in 1841 by Canstatt, who used the concept synonymously with 'psychic neurosis'. Since then to the present day of diagnostic instruments and manual classifications, the experience of psychosis has remained fairly constant. (18)
Psychosis …show more content…
(19)
When patients experience psychosis, they may be confused, depressed, disorganized, delusional, hallucinate, and paranoid. Some who suffer from psychosis have difficulty with everyday things in life such as having a job, driving, and communicating with …show more content…
The rate ratio for males:females is 1.4:1. Lifetime prevalence has been reported in the range of 0.5 - 1.6% (23).
Schizophrenia is a rare and severe disabling disorder of unknown clear etiology (30). Multiple risk factors including obstetric complications, urban life, advanced paternal age, positive family history, and cannabis use have all been associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia.
In most cases, schizophrenia is preceded by a prodromal phase that can be manifested as non- specific clinical states, with depressive and anxiety symptoms, which can last up to several years. These prodromal symptoms are non-specific of schizophrenia, and most people with these symptoms will not develop schizophrenia.

The onset typically occurs between the late teens and the mid-30s, onset prior to adolescence is rare, and infrequently after the age of 45 years. Psychotic symptoms tend to be episodic over time, with their emergence or worsening associated with a potential risk to self or others, often requiring temporary hospitalization. Negative symptoms and cognitive problems tend to be more stable over time and contribute significantly to functional impairment debilitating and deteriorating disorder with poor outcome
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