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l'Information Psychiatrique. Volume 81, Number 10, 875-82, Décembre 2005, Troubles bipolaires

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Author(s) : M-L Bourgeois

Summary : What in a manic-depressive psychosis could refer to a psychotic syndrom?The real nature of what we call « psychosis » is an unresolved matter. The question is as old as the word psychosis itself. Bipolar disorders (following the classical « manic depressive psychosis » nosographic category) constitute an interesting field to investigate the question of the nature of psychosis. In this paper, the historical, clinical definitions, and research studies dealing with the concept of psychosis are reviewed (particularly within the frame of bipolar disorders). The conclusions are that psychotic symptoms are not specific to psychopathology, and that the use of the word psychosis tends to decrease in parallel to the increased use of words like deficit and functional disorders.

Keywords : psychosis, bipolar disorders