[Diagnosis and treatment of "acute psychosis" from the dimensional perspective].

The term "acute psychosis" is commonly used as a provisional diagnosis in psychiatric acute settings, especially in emergency, when there is not sufficient information available to give a specific categorical diagnosis. The provisional diagnosis "acute psychosis" involves psychotic conditions with acute onset, psychotic conditions with unknown course and acute behavioural disorders with unknown subjective experiences. Because this provisional diagnosis is not a proper category, dimensional assessment of psychopathology including delusions, hallucinations, disorganization, mood/affect, catatonia and disorder of consciousness is required to start specific treatment. As "acute psychosis" is nosologically ill defined in the dichotomy of schizophrenia and mood disorder, traditional types such as bouffée délirante, cycloid psychoses and reactive psychosis are useful in practice as frames of reference. Because the provisional diagnosis of "acute psychosis" involves non-psychotic disorders such as adjustment disorders and personality disorders, the perspective of genetic understanding is helpful in making a non-dimensional differential diagnosis.