Formerly called as the “Paranoid Disorder”, it is a serious psychotic mental disorder. Differentiation of false perceptions and experiences from reality is difficult with both bizarre and non-bizarre, realistic delusions may occur. People with this disorder often can continue to socialize and function normally, generally not behaving in an obviously odd or bizarre manner. However, preoccupation with their delusions may lead to disruption of their lives.
- Most commonly occurs from middle to late life, more often in women than men.
Types of Delusion
- Erotomanic Delusions: “The nurse is in love with me.”; they may try to contact others following this thought. It may lead to stalking behavior, as the subjects to this delusion are often important or influential people.
- Grandiose Delusions: an over-inflated sense of worth, power, knowledge, or identity. They may believe they are a great talent or have discover something important.
- Jealous Delusions: “He’s cheating on me!”; a delusion of unfaithfulness of significant others.
- Persecutory Delusions: “I’m going to be killed.”; a delusion of being threatened, stalked, or otherwise harmed. This may result to repeated use of emergency services.
- Somatic Delusions: “My leg is gone!”; delusions that affect the body.
- Mixed Delusions
- Nihilistic Delusions: beliefs that the self is dysfunctional, rotting away, disfigured, misshapen; negative beliefs about the world (“The world is ending tomorrow.“)
- Referential Delusions: also known as Ideas of Reference, involving the belief that external events are somehow related to the client e.g. “The President was speaking to me at his speech.”
- Sexual Delusions: beliefs that one’s sexual behavior is malicious and/or broadcast e.g. “I’m a rapist.“%%