Psychosis-like experiences in non-clinical population: Review of some issues

Epidemiological and psychometric studies have recently highlighted the underestimated prevalence of hallucinations and delusions in many individuals who have never received the diagnostic of psychosis. How psychological models account for this "continuum of psychosis"? This article describes the key elements of a mainly Anglo-Saxon debate, attempting to introduce a critical perspective that is rooted in a psychoanalytic psychopathology. This critical review will be applied in particular on measurements which, for the most part, are based on questionnaires with items setting into psychosis' area some beliefs and experiences, repositioning the psychiatric discourse on the "peculiarity" of some "exceptional experiences". After presenting an alternative methodology based on semi-structured diagnostic interviews and differential criteria from psychoanalysis, we will examine the issues involved in this assessment of psychosis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.