Online CPR Certification Blog

Generally classified as one of the psychotic disorders, delusional disorder refers to a disorder whereby one has troubles recognizing realizing. In other words, it is ideally a false belief where one interprets the reality incorrectly. And just like any other psychotic symptom, delusions can occur as one part of different psychiatric disorders. A person with delusional illness tends to firmly hold false belief despite there being clear poor or evidence to the contrary.

Different types of delusions

Delusions are of different types and the common ones include persecutory, grandiose, erotic, somatic or jealous delusions. A typical person with a delusional disorder doesn’t necessarily have to be having mood problems or hallucinations. And unlike those with schizophrenia, such people have problems with normal day to day functioning. If hallucinations do occur, they are usually a part of delusional belief. For instance, if someone with a delusional disorder hallucinates that their internal organs are starting to rot; they could hallucinate about sensations or smells associated with that delusion. In case they have an impaired functioning, this could result directly from delusion. Those having delusional disorder know too well that they have unique beliefs and they will rarely talk about them.

Common symptoms to watch out for

Persistent delusion which is having a fixed belief is the main symptom for delusional disorder. This belief could be about an action, a situation or a condition. This might not be happening but could be plausible when it comes to real life scenario. The first type is erotomanic delusion which involve delusions about a loving special relationship with someone of higher standing or famous. Then there is grandiose delusion where one deludes of having a special ability or power or being in a special kind of relationship with the pope, president or celebrity. Other delusions are such as jealous, somatic and persecutory where one deludes of being maltreated or threatened.

Diagnosis and prevention of delusional disorder

Being a rare kind of condition, it is always good that the physician evaluates the possibility of another major illness like a medical problem, schizophrenia or a mood disorder. This could be having delusions as one of the symptoms. People with dementia like Alzheimer’s disease tend to be delusional. If the person affected is concealing his or her thoughts, diagnosing the problem could prove problematic. Alternative diagnostic tests need to be involved like CT and MRI scans. Unfortunately, there is no known preventable measure for this disorder.

Treatments available for delusional disorder

Proving a person with a delusional disorder can prove challenging especially for long lasting delusions. Antipsychotic medications could be helpful but it is rare for pharmacological treatment to be effective in containing the disorder. This is because such patients won’t agree to have a mental disorder and will thus refuse treatment at all costs including psychotherapy. Educating family members and lovers as to how they should respond to the needs of the person can be useful.