Delusional Disorder
Delusional Disorder
Delusional Disorder
Delusional disorder (originally called paranoid disorder) is a rare mental health condition characterized by the presence of delusions —fixed false beliefs held with absolute certainty, despite strong evidence to the contrary.
Delusions can be bizarre or non-bizarre. Non-bizarre delusions involve situations that could realistically occur, such as being hurt, deceived, or conspired against. These delusions are usually inconsistent with a person’s cultural beliefs.
Prevalence
About 0.2% of people have delusional disorder, with the main type being persecutory. Delusional disorder tends to develop in mid to later life and affects women and men equally.
Schizophrenia vs Delusional Disorder
Unlike schizophrenia, mood symptoms in delusional disorder tend to be brief or absent, and hallucinations are not usually present. If they are, they are often minimal.
Symptoms of Delusional Disorder:
Some of the signs and symptoms that might appear quite normal in some cultures could be misdiagnosed in other cultures as being delusional in nature, such as seeing visions or hearing voices.
Diagnosis of Delusional Disorder:
The diagnosis of delusional disorder can be difficult as many people are unwilling to divulge the details of their delusions. The input of family members in regards to the person’s behavior and attitude can reveal a more thorough list of the symptoms.
A full medical exam, lab work, possibly brain scans, and a look at a person’s mental health history will be done first to rule out any possible medical reasons for the symptoms — such as Alzheimer’s.
DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for delusional disorder are as follows:
DSM-5 lists seven subtypes of delusional disorder based on the content of the delusions:
Once someone has had the disorder for 12 months or more, the diagnosis can be further specified by the number of episodes and their severity.
Causes of Delusional Disorder:
The exact cause of delusional disorder remains unknown; however, genetic, biological, and environmental factors have both been implicated.
Risks from Delusional Disorder:
Apart from their delusion(s), people with delusional disorder don’t usually experience any impairment in functioning; in fact, they can often be high functioning, and their behavior does not necessarily seem odd or unusual.
However, the preoccupation with delusional beliefs can be disruptive to their overall lives, especially if they cause them to self-isolate.
Treatment of Delusional Disorder:
Treatment for delusional disorder includes medication and psychotherapy. Because the delusions appear so real, the person might refuse any form of treatment.
Hospitalization for delusional disorder is only considered if the person is at risk of self-harm or of harming others.
Medications for Delusional Disorder:
Delusions might not lessen with antipsychotics, so they are usually only used if extreme agitation accompanies the delusion.
Delusional disorder can be very difficult to treat, in part because people with this condition often have poor insight and do not recognize that a psychiatric problem exists. However, about 50% of all people treated with antipsychotics show some improvement.
Symptoms of Delusional Disorder:
Some of the signs and symptoms that might appear quite normal in some cultures could be misdiagnosed in other cultures as being delusional in nature, such as seeing visions or hearing voices.
Diagnosis of Delusional Disorder:
The diagnosis of delusional disorder can be difficult as many people are unwilling to divulge the details of their delusions. The input of family members in regards to the person’s behavior and attitude can reveal a more thorough list of the symptoms.
A full medical exam, lab work, possibly brain scans, and a look at a person’s mental health history will be done first to rule out any possible medical reasons for the symptoms — such as Alzheimer’s.
DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for delusional disorder are as follows:
DSM-5 lists seven subtypes of delusional disorder based on the content of the delusions:
Once someone has had the disorder for 12 months or more, the diagnosis can be further specified by the number of episodes and their severity.
Causes of Delusional Disorder:
The exact cause of delusional disorder remains unknown; however, genetic, biological, and environmental factors have both been implicated.
Risks from Delusional Disorder:
Apart from their delusion(s), people with delusional disorder don’t usually experience any impairment in functioning; in fact, they can often be high functioning, and their behavior does not necessarily seem odd or unusual.
However, the preoccupation with delusional beliefs can be disruptive to their overall lives, especially if they cause them to self-isolate.
Treatment of Delusional Disorder:
Treatment for delusional disorder includes medication and psychotherapy. Because the delusions appear so real, the person might refuse any form of treatment.
Hospitalization for delusional disorder is only considered if the person is at risk of self-harm or of harming others.
Medications for Delusional Disorder:
Delusions might not lessen with antipsychotics, so they are usually only used if extreme agitation accompanies the delusion.
Delusional disorder can be very difficult to treat, in part because people with this condition often have poor insight and do not recognize that a psychiatric problem exists. However, about 50% of all people treated with antipsychotics show some improvement.