Korsakoff's psychosis

n. Korsakoff's psychosis is an organic disorder believed to be a subdivision of Wernicke- Korsakoff syndrome, resulting in short-term memory loss, hallucinations, delusions, and disorientation due to a thiamine deficiency. Persons may also experience anxiety, insomnia, and depression and may confabulate stories. Persons experiencing the symptoms of Korsakoff's psychosis are also likely to experience the confusion, vision abnormalities, and loss of voluntary muscle movements found in Wernicke's syndrome. Similarly to that for Wernicke's and Korsakoff's syndrome, the recommended treatment involves administration of thiamine, but once the disorder has progressed from Wernicke's syndrome to Korsakoff's psychosis, the likelihood of recovery is reduced.

Although sometimes the term is used interchangeably with Korsakoff's syndrome, some researchers advocate that Korsakoff's psychosis is perhaps more accurately viewed as a variation of the memory loss demonstrated by persons with Korsakoff's syndrome. It is also important to differentiate the chronicity of Korsakoff's psychosis from a more acute psychosis induced after periodic consumption of alcohol.

- TJM

▶ See also KORSAKOFF'S SYNDROME