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The human mind, that of the ordinary, non-afflicted person, is good at fooling itself. If this weren't so, things in society would not be as they are.  

The human mind makes an assumption, and then it works to prove its assumptions. However, there are inroads that allow reality to enter human thought, so long as a person hasn't slipped too deeply into illusion. 

The mind of a person who suffers from psychosis may lack some of the safety valves or "failsafe" mechanisms that most people probably have.  

When the mind of a psychotic person produces a delusion, and when this delusion is incorporated into the fabric of thought, this introduces an error. In some instances, a delusion becomes an assumption. When this happens, most of the thoughts that follow from this assumption are going to be incorrect. 

Non-afflicted people absorb their version of reality from those around them. Most people are taught what to think and how to think based on what they see and hear other people doing. Independent thought is not the norm. Most people remain "sane" by means of social mechanisms. (Our current President is using this to his advantage.)  

People who become psychotic often are isolated. This isolation could be invisible, meaning they could exist among others, yet not connect. Or, the isolation could be obvious, such as someone who works alone and/or lives alone. This gives the mind the opportunity to feed on its own thoughts. This is usually not healthy, unless you are part of a meditation community--in which case you would periodically have a chance to interact with other meditation practitioners. And there are other exceptions.  

We see a number of examples of how cults that are fragmented from most of society can split off from reality, and the members share common erroneous beliefs. Usually the individual who heads the cult has the ability to project beliefs onto others, beliefs that allow that person to take advantage of his or her followers. 

The President has the biggest "cult following" we have seen. He is able to project a warped version of reality to his followers; and it appears as though millions of people believe everything he says. Most people must be told what to think. Many are unable to distinguish on their own whether their source is accurate, a deception, or a contagious delusion. They may simply listen to the loudest voice or the strongest projection. 

(Dr. Drew Pinsky, shortly before he was canned from CNN for saying he didn't believe Trump is mentally ill and for expressing concern over Clinton's health, said it very well. In an interview with Don Lemon, he said [and these are not his exact words] that rather than calling Trump crazy, we ought to be looking at why so many people are following Trump.)  

However, a person suffering from psychosis who winds up in the mental health treatment system generally gets the delusions from himself or herself. This doesn't make common thought any more accurate. However, a person deemed psychotic has separated from common beliefs and this makes it unlikely that they can exist among others.  

Schizophrenia, however, is an actual illness. If the problem could be characterized only as the presence of delusions, it might be harder to call it a disease. However, a person with schizophrenia may be paranoid and/or grandiose, and, in addition to being delusional, the person's thoughts will be very disorganized. The person loses the ability to take care of himself or herself, and in some instances may pose a threat to oneself or others.  

Medication to treat psychosis works partly through slowing down the brain, and partly through increasing the emphasis of one's immediate surroundings. Both of these things make it easier, not only for thinking to get back on track with what others believe, but also for thinking to make more sense. 

This doesn't mean that a mentally ill person in treatment has been rendered incapable of independent thought. Look at me as an example… 

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Jack Bragen is author of "Revised Short Science Fiction Collection of Jack Bragen."