Psychosis
Etymology
From Greek psyche, "mind," plus -osis, "condition or abnormal state." Coined by the Austrian physician Ernst von Feuchtersleben in the 1840s to describe illness of the mind. Today it names a specific break with reality — a symptom that can arise from several causes, including illness, extreme stress, or lack of sleep — rather than a single disease.
noun · /sy-KOH-sis/
A mental state marked by a loss of contact with reality, which can include hallucinations or fixed false beliefs.
What it names
A clear, non-stigmatizing term for a serious but treatable condition — one people often confuse with unrelated ideas of danger.
Example
With early treatment and support, the episode of psychosis resolved and he returned to work.
Related idea
Neurosis is older shorthand for anxious distress with reality intact; psychosis involves losing that grip on reality.