I would like to add to Dr. Henry A. Nasrallah’s editorial (“Are some nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders actually psychotic?” From the Editor, Current Psychiatry, November 2011, p. 16-19) that if we go by his definition of “delusional” then most of us are psychotic, considering that some individuals are atheists, some believe in God or gods, and all of us cannot be right. Politically, some have fixed beliefs and others have exactly the opposite fixed beliefs. Some are right, some are wrong, and some are psychotic. It is true that psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety can be considered psychotic and an antipsychotic can help the patient. However, what do we do with those who have fixed beliefs that do not fit into our beliefs? It happened not too long ago in totalitarian regimes where psychiatric treatment was a tool of the oppressors.
Mihai A. Chituc, MD
Psychiatrist
Kaiser Permanente
La Habra, CA