Psychotic Disorders List

Download our free Psychotic Disorders List as a helpful reference tool based on the diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-5.

By Gale Alagos on Aug 2, 2025.

Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.

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What are psychotic disorders?

Psychotic disorders are a group of serious mental health conditions in which a person's thoughts and perceptions significantly deviate from reality, resulting in abnormal behavior. These disorders are characterized by psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

In order to meet diagnostic criteria, psychosis must be accompanied by significant distress or impairment to functioning in various aspects of life, including work, relationships, and self-care.

Common symptoms of psychotic disorders

The cluster of symptoms referred to as psychosis can be divided into positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are experiences or behaviors not typically present in healthy individuals, and are in excess or distortion of normal functioning, including:

Delusions: Fixed, false beliefs that are not based in reality, such as paranoid delusions (beliefs of being persecuted or conspired against) or bizarre delusions (beliefs that defy natural laws).
Hallucinations: Sensory experiences without an external stimulus, such as hearing voices, seeing objects or people not present, or experiencing unusual tastes or smells.
Disorganized speech: Incoherent or nonsensical speech patterns, often jumping from one topic to another in an illogical manner.
Grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior: Bizarre or purposeless movements, such as repetitive gestures or postures.

Negative symptoms, on the other hand, refer to the absence or reduction of certain behaviors or experiences typically present in healthy individuals. These symptoms represent a deficit or loss of normal functions. Common negative symptoms include:

Diminished emotional expression: A flat affect or lack of emotional responsiveness.
Avolition: A lack of motivation or ability to initiate and persist in goal-directed activities.
Alogia: Poverty of speech, characterized by brief and empty responses.
Anhedonia: An inability to experience pleasure from typically enjoyable activities.
Social withdrawal: A tendency to isolate oneself and avoid social interactions.
Poverty of psychomotor activity: reduced motor activity.

Psychotic Disorders List Template

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What is a Psychotic Disorders List?

This comprehensive guide outlines the various types of mental health disorders that may involve psychotic symptoms, drawing on the criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V). This list serves as a quick reference tool for healthcare professionals to identify and differentiate these conditions.

The Psychotic Disorders List includes:

Schizophrenia: A severe mental health disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, affect and behavior that are significantly disconnected from reality and last at least six months (including at least 1 month of active psychotic symptoms).
Brief psychotic disorder: Sudden onset of at least one psychotic symptom, lasting for a period of 1 day to 1 month. After the psychotic episode, the individual returns to their previous level of functioning.
Delusional disorder: The individual experiences one or more non-bizarre delusions, (false beliefs that could potentially occur in real life, such as being followed or being deceived by a spouse). Hallucinations and disorganized speech are typically absent.
Schizoaffective disorder: A combination of psychotic symptoms (e.g. delusions or hallucinations) and mood symptoms, (e.g. depression or mania), experienced either concurrently or in succession.
Schizophreniform disorder: The presence of psychotic symptoms, similar to those seen in schizophrenia, but for a shorter duration of at least one month but less than six months. If the symptoms persist beyond six months, the diagnosis may be changed to schizophrenia.

Other mental health conditions in which psychosis may be experienced include:

Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder: Symptoms of psychosis are induced by the effects of a substance, such as drugs of abuse or certain medications, or by the effects of another medical condition, such as neurological disorders.

Bipolar disorder: Although classified as a mood disorder, people with bipolar disorder may experience symptoms of psychosis, typically during periods of mania.

Schizotypal personality disorder: Characterized by odd or eccentric patterns of behavior and cognition, which can sometimes involve brief psychotic episodes but is now classified under personality disorders.
Severe depression: prolonged periods of severely low mood can also cause psychosis. This is sometimes known as major depressive disorder with psychotic features, or psychotic depression.

How does our Psychotic Disorders List template work?

Our Psychotic Disorders List template is designed to be a comprehensive and user-friendly resource for mental health professionals and students when diagnosing, differentiating, or learning about psychotic disorders. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Open the template

To access the template, click the "Use template" button on this page. This link will open the template in the Carepatron app. Alternatively, click the "Download" button to access a ready-to-go PDF version.

Step 2: Use the list as a reference

When assessing a patient, refer to the relevant disorder section. Scan the symptom overview and diagnostic criteria to compare against the patient's presentation. Make notes on the patient's specific symptoms, duration, and severity. Compare these against the diagnostic criteria to determine if the patient meets diagnostic criteria.

Step 3: Differential diagnosis

Next, compare the patient to other psychotic disorders on the list to determine if the patient's symptoms are better explain by another disorder. This is especially helpful in educational settings where students are learning how to conduct differential diagnosis.

Step 4: Plan for next steps

Outline a preliminary treatment plan based on the diagnosis (if applicable). This plan may involve medication, therapy, or a combination of interventions (e.g. coordinated specialty care in inpatient treatment).

Benefits of using this Psychotic Disorders List

Using our Psychotic Disorders List can offer several benefits for mental health professionals:

Improved efficiency

This comprehensive list covers the diagnostic criteria, symptoms, and additional relevant information of various psychotic disorders. Having information on DSM-V psychotic conditions consolidated in one place can save time and effort when researching or referencing these conditions.

Improved diagnostic accuracy

Carefully reviewing each disorder's diagnostic criteria and symptom overviews helps healthcare practitioners make more accurate diagnoses. This can lead to better treatment planning and improved patient outcomes.

Enhanced understanding of psychotic disorders

This reference tool provides insights into onset, course, prevalence, and risk factors, which can deepen the understanding of these complex conditions. This is especially beneficial for students training in psychiatry or clinical psychology.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Commonly asked questions

Schizophrenia is a type of psychotic disorder, but not all psychotic disorders are schizophrenia. Other types include schizoaffective disorder and brief psychotic disorder, which have many of the same symptoms as schizophrenia, typically differing in duration or intensity.

The causes of psychosis are multifaceted and can include genetics, brain chemistry, substance use, and environmental stressors such as trauma.

There are a variety of cognitive and behavioral therapies as well as prescription medications that are used in psychosis treatment. Antipsychotic medications are a common frontline method to treat psychosis, and are often used alongside individual or group psychotherapy to help alleviate the distress and impairment associated with psychotic mental illness.

Receiving coordinated specialty care involving multiple therapeutic treatment approaches is associated with better outcomes for those who experience psychosis-related disorders.