Psychotic disorders are mental disorders in which the predominant feature is that a person's contact with reality is impaired. During a psychotic episode a person’s thought patterns are often confused and disorganized. They frequently experience such signs and symptoms as delusions, hallucinations and paranoia.

Psychotic disorders are actually quite common worldwide. About one percent (1%) of the population is thought to have some form of psychotic disorder. Most psychotic disorders tend to affect males and females in equal numbers.

Some of the characteristics associated with psychotic disorders include delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, incoherent or disorganized speech, and/or disorganized behavior. Delusions are described as false, fixed, inaccurate beliefs the person holds onto even when he/she is presented with accurate information. Hallucinations are internal sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of external stimuli. Examples include the experiencing of sights, sounds, smells or tactile sensations that are not actually present.

Some formal psychotic disorders, like Schizophrenia, tend to run in families. If someone has a psychotic disorder, it is quite likely that another member of his/her immediate or extended family also has had a psychotic disorder. Generally, the first signs of most psychotic disorders appear when a person is in his/her late teens, twenties, or thirties.

The following is a brief description of some types of formal psychotic disorders:

• Schizophrenia - psychotic symptoms which continue for at least six months coupled with the deterioration of occupational and social functioning
• Schizoaffective Disorder - psychotic symptoms coupled with frequent and significant mood disturbances
• Schizophreniform Disorder - same criteria as Schizophrenia but the episode lasts from 1 - 6 months and there is no deterioration of social status
• Brief Psychotic Disorder - psychotic symptoms that last between 1 and 30 days

Sometimes physical illness might mimic or contribute to a psychological disorder and cause psychotic symptoms and behavior. If there is any doubt about a medical problem, the mental health professional should refer to a physician, who will perform a complete physical examination and request any necessary laboratory tests. Acutely, a person with a psychotic disorder is treated with medication. Many types of psychotherapy, including individual, group, and family therapy, may be used at some point in the illness to help support the person suffering from a psychotic disorder. Although some patients with psychotic disorders can be treated as outpatients, people who are acutely psychotic and disorganized frequently need hospitalization in order to be stabilized.