Psychotic Disorders—Alcohol

Also called: Drinking

If you are like many Americans, you drink alcohol at least occasionally. For many people, moderate drinking is probably safe. It may even have health benefits, including reducing your risk of certain heart problems. For most women and for most people over 65, moderate drinking is no more than three drinks a day or seven drinks per week. For men under 65, it is no more than four drinks a day or 14 drinks per week.

Some people should not drink at all, including alcoholics, children, pregnant women, people taking certain medicines, and people with certain medical conditions. If you have questions about whether it is safe for you to drink, speak with your health care provider.

Anything more than moderate drinking can be risky. Heavy drinking can lead to alcoholism and alcohol abuse, as well as injuries, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. It can also cause problems at home, at work, and with friends.

NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• Alcohol use and safe drinking (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Calorie count – Alcoholic beverages (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Deciding to quit drinking alcohol (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Health risks of alcohol use (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Weight loss and alcohol (Medical Encyclopedia)
• What type of drinker are you? (Medical Encyclopedia)
• When you are drinking too much – tips for cutting back (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Psychoses

Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is plotting against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing, or feeling something that is not there.

Schizophrenia is one type of psychotic disorder. People with bipolar disorder may also have psychotic symptoms. Other problems that can cause psychosis include alcohol and some drugs, brain tumors, brain infections, and stroke.

Treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. It might involve drugs to control symptoms and talk therapy. Hospitalization is an option for serious cases where a person might be dangerous to himself or others.

• Brief psychotic disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hallucinations (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Major depression with psychotic features (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Mental status testing (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Psychosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Schizoaffective disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)