13.3  Chronic psychoses

Chronic psychoses are ‘chronic’ because they begin gradually, but continue for a long time (over six months), with an increasing deterioration (getting worse) as time passes. They tend to affect younger age groups than other psychoses (15–30 years), and without treatment they can have terrible consequences for the sufferer. Many of the mentally ill people who are avoided by others because they are perceived as ‘mad’ are likely to be suffering from a chronic form of untreated psychosis.