Psychotic illnesses have a physical or emotional cause. For example, minimizing alcohol use avoids alcoholic psychosis. Some causes, such as schizophrenia , have no known prevention. Laboratory or radiological testing is usually not helpful. However, sometime such tests can help to pinpoint the exact diagnosis.
Treatment varies depending on the cause of the psychosis.
Care in a hospital is often needed. Psychotherapy is helpful for some psychotic disorders. The expectations for the outcome vary with the specific disorder. Many of the disorders are able to be controlled with treatment, but the treatment often needs to be long-term. The psychosis often prevents the person from functioning normally.