Infection and
inflammation resulting from a malfunctioning of the immune system have been discussed as pathological factors in
psychosis for more than 130 years. The first immune-modulating therapeutic approaches for
psychosis were developed more than 100 years ago, but the breakthrough of
antipsychotic treatment in the 1950s shifted the emphasis of research to catecholaminergic neurotransmission. In the 1990s, however, the unsatisfactory
therapeutic effects of
antipsychotics, and the fact that the pathological mechanisms of
psychosis were still unknown, reignited the scientific interest in other topics, including
inflammation. In parallel, the further development of immunological methods enabled a more sophisticated examination of immunological and inflammatory mechanisms. Psychiatrists' interest in this interdisciplinary field increased as a consequence of encouraging results of psychoneuroimmunological research and broader funding of the field. In the meantime, the benefits of anti-inflammatory treatment in
psychosis have been demonstrated in clinical studies and meta-analyses. Future studies are warranted to evaluate the exact immunological mechanisms in the pathophysiology of the disease, optimize the anti-inflammatory treatment approach and develop more targeted, personalized
therapies in
psychosis.