A psychotic break occurs when a person experiences an episode of acute primary psychosis - generally for the first time, though it may also be after a significant symptom-free period.
Some have suggested that (however disconcerting) such a break may be a form of psychological communication, opening the way for a less ego-bound and more emotionally grounded sense of personality.
Read more about Psychotic Break: Causes, Symptoms, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words psychotic and/or break:
“This is not a psychotic episode. This is a cleansing moment of clarity.”
—Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981)
“In marble halls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal-clear,
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.”
—Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. In marble walls as white as milk (Riddle: An Egg)