Final answer:
Psychotic disorders are characterized by impaired reality testing and include conditions such as schizophrenia. Symptoms can be treated with antipsychotic medications that alter brain neurotransmitter activity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychotic disorders are characterized by impaired reality testing. This means that individuals with such disorders have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not, which includes symptoms like hallucinations and delusions. Examples of psychotic disorders include schizophrenia, where patients may experience auditory hallucinations, delusional thinking, or disorganized speech, and they may also exhibit 'negative' symptoms such as emotional flatness and loss of pleasure in everyday life. Antipsychotic medications are commonly prescribed to treat these disorders by altering neurotransmitter activity in the brain, which can help alleviate some of the symptoms.