What Is a Psychotic Episode?
A psychotic episode is a period of psychosis that can last varying amounts of time. Some physicians distinguish between brief psychotic episodes lasting between one day and one month and longer periods of psychosis. This mental health condition can occur in conjunction with an existing condition like schizophrenia, or it may occur independently. A number of causes have been associated with psychosis, from extreme trauma to underlying variations in the chemical makeup of the brain that make some people more prone to psychosis.