psychosis

noun

psy·cho·sis | \ sī-ˈkō-səs

plural psychoses\ sī-ˈkō-ˌsēz

Definition of psychosis

: a serious mental illness (such as schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality often with hallucinations or delusions

Examples of psychosis in a Sentence

The patient suffers from some kind of psychosis.

Recent Examples on the Web

In some cases, sleep deprivation can lead to psychosis, although this is more rare. — Kate Gardner, SELF, "What It’s Like to Be So Sleep Deprived That You Hallucinate," 14 Feb. 2019 In many past mass shootings psychiatrists made the correct diagnosis of the future shooter’s potentially dangerous psychosis, requiring involuntary commitment and inpatient treatment some time before the tragedies took place. — WSJ, "A Parkland, Fla., Father’s Lonely Crusade," 18 Jan. 2019 Behind this brutal act of a psychopath is the Polish political psychosis. — Bojan Pancevski, WSJ, "Polish Politician Dies After Stabbing, Sparking Uproar," 14 Jan. 2019 During a student rotation at Kedren Acute Psychiatric Hospital in Los Angeles, Edwards saw bipolar disorder, psychosis and major depression up close, and she was struck by the need for care among minorities, especially African-Americans and Latinos. — NBC News, "Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise," 4 Apr. 2018 There are also some studies in humans demonstrating that CBD can decrease psychosis and schizophrenia-like symptoms. — Kaitlyn Pirie, Woman's Day, "What Is CBD, and Why Is Everybody Talking About It?," 15 Feb. 2019 Hallucinations are commonly experienced by people experiencing psychosis or those who have schizophrenia, people on a hallucinogen, or by people who have dementia. — Kate Gardner, SELF, "What It’s Like to Be So Sleep Deprived That You Hallucinate," 14 Feb. 2019 The link between marijuana and violence doesn’t appear limited to people with pre-existing psychosis. — Alex Berenson, WSJ, "Marijuana Is More Dangerous Than You Think," 4 Jan. 2019 In 2017, Faber was diagnosed with acute psychosis with a marked stressor, and left her city job. — Heidi Groover, The Seattle Times, "Sen. Joe Fain’s accuser: ‘I’m done being silent’," 1 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psychosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.