Also called: Psychoses
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is plotting against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing, or feeling something that is not there.
Schizophrenia is one type of psychotic disorder. People with bipolar disorder may also have psychotic symptoms. Other problems that can cause psychosis include alcohol and some drugs, brain tumors, brain infections, and stroke.
Treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. It might involve drugs to control symptoms and talk therapy. Hospitalization is an option for serious cases where a person might be dangerous to himself or others.
It sits within Mental Health and Behavior.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Mental Health.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Psychotic Disorders
4,516 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Study to Evaluate KarXT as a Treatment for Psychosis Associated With Alzheimer's Disease (ADEPT-4)Karuna Therapeutics, Inc., a Bristol Myers Squibb company
- Evenamide, a Glutamate Release Modulator, as Add-On to Standard of Care in Subjects With Documented Treatment-Resistant SchizophreniaNewron Pharmaceuticals SPA
- Metformin Alleviates Abnormal Glucose Metabolism Induced by Statins in Schizophrenia PatientsCentral South University
- A Study to Assess Efficacy and Safety of KarXT for the Treatment of Psychosis Associated With Alzheimer's Disease (ADEPT-2)Karuna Therapeutics, Inc., a Bristol Myers Squibb company
- BRAVE Program to Improve Safety and Reduce Violence Risk in Early PsychosisHoward University
- Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Treatment Response of GXV813 in Hospitalized Adults With SchizophreniaNovartis Pharmaceuticals
Research already completed
- Behavioral Impact and Neural Correlates of Network-based Brain Stimulation in SchizophreniaBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Clay Therapy in Schizophrenia PatientsKutahya Health Sciences University
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Neuropsychiatric Patients and Healthy VolunteersNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- PsychosisNAMI
- Understanding PsychosisNational Institute of Mental Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Mental Health ScreeningNational Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Brain Stimulation TherapiesNational Institute of Mental Health
- Mental Health MedicationsNational Institute of Mental Health
- PsychotherapiesNational Institute of Mental Health
- What Is Psychiatry?American Psychiatric Association
Living With
- Drug-Induced Movement-DisordersAmerican Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists
- Metabolic Side Effects of Psychiatric MedicationsAmerican Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists
Related Issues
- Neuroleptic Malignant SyndromeGenetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
Genetics
- Schizoaffective disorder: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Psychotic DisordersNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Psychotic Disorders. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Psychotic Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.