Delusional Disorder

delusional disorder

This person is having a Delusion that insects are crawling up on his body, in reality there are no insects.

FACTS

79% of the patients suffering from delusional disorder, volunteer for a treatment.

Delusional Disorder is a condition associated with one or more delusions of thinking, such as expressing false beliefs that occur in real life situations like being stalked, being seen or heard by others, being poisoned, etc.

Delusional Disorder is generally not due to a medical condition or substance abuse.

Delusions may be of the following types:-

  1. Grandiose type- The patient believes that He/she has some great but unrecognized talent, a special talent, special identity, knowledge or special relationship with someone famous.

  2. Erotomanic type- The patient believes that a person, usually of higher social standing is in love with the individual.

  3. Jealous type- The patient believes his spouse or partner is cheating upon him.

  4. Persecutory type- The patient believes he is being cheated, spied, drugged or followed upon.

  5. Somantic type- The patient feels physical sensation or some bodily dysfunction like foul odour, insects crawling on them etc.

  6. Mixed type- The patient has characteristics of one or more of the above types, or any other unspecified type of delusion.

SYMPTOMS

  • Suspicion and doubtful
  • Hallucinations
  • Disorganized speech
  • Highly fluctuating emotions
  • Disorganized behaviour

CASE STUDIES

K B, age 35 was brought to the clinic by her husband after much convincing and a call of assurance from the doctors here. Her husband describes her behaviour as highly suspicious, where she doubts him of having an affair with every woman he talks to, one time she hit him because she believed he has sexual relations with his sister ever since K’s married him. She by this time gets extremely angry and states that her husband is secretly drugging her, so that she goes insane and dies and then he will marry her sister. It can be observed that tone of K’s voice is either too high or low; she was constantly fidgety and eyed her husband with intense suspicion. K’s has no substantial reason to doubt him. Mrs K upon further examination was diagnosed with delusional disorder of jealous and persecutory type.