Delusional Disorders

Psychologists define delusion as a firm false belief that arises from a wrong interpretation of an external stimulus. Even if there is strong evidence to suggest that the claim is false, the person suffering from any delusional disorder does not appreciate the reality and continues to believe what they feel is right. 

For most patients suffering from delusional disorders, the delusions do not cause any functional loss or hindrance. Further, the behavioural changes are subtle in most cases. Even if they are noticeable, the behavioural implications are not overtly problematic or bizarre. Since a majority of delusions are non-conformant with popular cultural beliefs, everybody else who belongs to the same cultural community can easily identify delusional behaviour in patients. However, the hallmark of patients suffering from a delusional disorder is the firm rejection of what others say while trying to convey reality. 

Delusion, in most cases, is seen as a sign of some other underlying pathology. Patients suffering from neurological disorders commonly have delusion as one of the symptoms in a series of other clinical manifestations. Delusions in their respect are subdivided into several types. A single person can demonstrate different types of delusions as well.

Types of Delusions

• Delusion of Grandeur

Having a delusion of grandeur is a typical situation where a person starts believing and claiming things that are much beyond their true reality. In essence, it involves an individual giving himself much more importance than he has. The scale of this delusional ideology is so grand that others find it hard to digest at once. For instance, the patient might start claiming that he is an incarnation of God, or might repeatedly talk about their immense wealth, which in reality doesn’t exist. 

• Persecutory Delusion

Persecutory delusion is the most common delusional disorder found in neuronal populations. In such delusions, patients start thinking that there is a larger conspiracy to harm them, even when there is no evidence whatsoever to prove this claim. These people make commonly repeated utterances like ‘I am being spied upon, ‘I am purposefully being harassed’, ‘someone wishes to poison me’, etc. In many cases, the false belief tends to become so strong that the person takes action against those who they think are trying to harm him. There have been cases where people suffering from persecutory delusion have even filed legal cases in apprehension. 

• Somatic Delusional Disorders

A common delusional disorder with a very high instance, the somatic delusional disorder, involves people thinking that there is something wrong with their body and that they are essentially ill. Many of you would have heard the term ‘hypochondriac behaviour’. Monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis is nothing but a part of somatic delusional disorder itself. Patients who suffer from specific symptoms and have a considerable duration of illness have a very high predilection to developing somatic delusional disorders. In some severe forms, tactile hallucinations get combined with hypochondriac behaviour, making matters worse for the individuals and those around them. 

• Erotomania

In Psychology, fixation refers to the process in which any abnormal behaviour tends to cease when a particular thing, object, or person is within the vicinity of the subject. Erotomania is defined as the delusion involving a fixation where a person believes that their love interest is also equally in love with them and that both of them are having a serious relationship. This form of delusion is very common for celebrities and film stars. Things become very dangerous when the fixation urge is so vehement that in the absence of it, the person starts stalking the other and takes violent actions when spots them with someone else. Ironically, a majority of the cases of Erotomania involve someone who isn’t even remotely related to the person. There has been no history of encouragement for a relationship from their side, and in several cases, they don’t ever get to know about the patient. 

• Delusion of Jealousy

A delusion where a person starts believing firmly that their spouse or lover is being unfaithful with them leads to a delusion of jealousy. Again, just like any other delusional disorder, there is no evidence to support their claims. However, the apprehension becomes so strong that they indulge in stalking, spying, etc. The person may even go to the level of hiring any third party, like a professional detective, to continuously spy on their spouse and collect evidence. In other cases where the delusion becomes uncontrollable, and the feeling of jealousy cannot be subsided, the person starts becoming violent and even targets the alleged lover of their spouse. In common language, delusional jealousy is termed morbid jealousy. Research suggests that men are more likely to develop delusional jealousy than women. 

• Induced Delusional Disorder

Commonly seen in couples when the delusional views of one partner dominate the thinking of the other. If this successfully induces delusions in them also, then the condition is termed as ‘induced delusional disorder’. Ultimately, such couples become isolated from a particular section of society. Moreover, both of them share the delusional ideology similarly, which may either be a delusion of persecution, grandeur, jealousy, etc. Induction of delusion into the other partner happens quite gradually. In almost all these cases, there is one dominant personality in the relationship which makes it easier for them to make the other one believe what they think. 

Further, the outcomes of the psychosis are grave for the dominant personality, but if long-standing cases are not given medical attention, deterioration becomes almost equal for both partners. 

Conclusion

Delusional disorders fall under the purview of an umbrella term called ‘psychosis’. Earlier, delusions were termed as paranoid, and have been reported in a large number of people across the globe. It, therefore, becomes important for all of us to be aware of the types of delusional behaviours, and suggest others seek adequate help from a mental health expert whenever the suspicion arises.