A Culture of Psychosis: A psychosocial case study approach to contemporary ‘ordinary psychosis’

There are many approaches that have attempted to historicize particular forms and conceptualizations of madness (Foucault, 1968; Porter, 1977). Much has also been published describing experiences – or outlining clinical case studies of – psychosis. What has proved rarer, and more challenging – perhaps due to the degree of multi-disciplinarity required - is the production of properly psychosocial case studies that both historicize clinical/biographical material and bring a developed clinical/psychoanalytic sensibility to the conditions of a case. Such a multidisciplinary approach is more important than ever today given the apparent increase in cases of ‘ordinary’ (asymptomatic, stable or ‘quiet’) psychosis.