Madness and Maastricht: A Review of Reactive Psychoses from a European Perspective

Abstract

Brief reactive psychosis has had a chequered career as a valid diagnostic entity, and lack of an international consensus has undermined the concept, but clinical observation attests to its durability. As the European community derestricts its labour boundaries, resulting in psychiatrists increasingly practising outside their country of training, I would suggest that this examination of ‘brief reactive psychosis’ becomes particularly pertinent with respect to differing diagnostic trends across Europe and elsewhere.