Psychosis: The 5 Core Clinical Features Explained

Описание: Psychosis is a clinical term used to describe a mental state in which a person’s ability to test reality becomes disrupted.

In this video, I explain psychosis from a clinical perspective and walk through the five core features used to recognise psychosis in practice. These features are described in modern psychiatry and reflected in the DSM-5-TR.

Psychosis can occur in a range of conditions, including schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders with psychotic features, and some medical or substance-related conditions. It can also appear temporarily in the context of extreme stress or trauma without representing a chronic psychotic disorder.

The five clinical features covered include delusions, hallucinations, disorganised thinking, abnormal or disorganised behaviour, and negative symptoms such as diminished emotional expression and avolition.

The video also explains where catatonia fits clinically, as a pattern of severely disrupted movement, speech, and responsiveness that can occur in some psychotic states and other psychiatric or medical conditions.

Rather than focusing on labels, this video explains how clinicians assess changes in reality testing, perception, thought, behaviour, and emotional expression — and why that distinction matters.

Many people experience unusual thoughts, perceptual changes, or cognitive disturbances during periods of trauma, sleep deprivation, illness, or severe stress without being psychotic.

Psychosis is identified not by distress or intensity alone, but by a loss of shared reality and fixed conviction at the time.

Clear definitions help prevent misdiagnosis, reduce unnecessary fear, and support appropriate care.

This video is for education and understanding, not self-diagnosis.

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