Beyond Schizophrenia: Contemporary Perspectives on Psychoses

SPECIAL REPORT: PSYCHOSIS PART 1

Although the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia are protean, it is also evident that not all psychoses are schizophrenia and not all are attributable to the same pathobiological processes that lead to schizophrenia. Psychoses due to mood disturbances, psychoses related to a myriad of organic and metabolic conditions, and psychoses related to substance abuse are common. These may present with symptoms that are indistinguishable from those of schizophrenia. Nonetheless, treatment of such psychoses may differ from that of schizophrenia.

Because this constellation of other psychoses is broad and encompasses both common and uncommon circumstances, the study of these individual psychoses has been more descriptive than neurobiological in focus. This Special Report, which will run in this issue and the next issue, will be of interest to readers because it more clearly delineates the clinical context of selective psychoses—eg, postpartum psychosis, cannabis-induced psychosis, methamphetamine-induced psychosis. The authors also provide contemporary information on plausible neurobiological mechanisms for selective psychoses.

We are reminded that the term psychosis is merely descriptive and covers many circumstances that can differ greatly.

Dr Buckley is the chancellor of health sciences at the University of Tennessee. He also serves on the Psychiatric Times™ editorial board. ❒