The delusional syndrome is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of delusions of various contents. A sick person may be convinced that he is terminally ill, followed, filmed, that everyone is talking about him. He may also persistently claim that his partner has committed treason. What are the causes and symptoms of the delusional syndrome? How is his treatment going?
Delusional disorderis a mental disorder characterized by the presence of systematized delusions - morbid, unjustified beliefs about a given topic that are not resolved by logical arguments or evidence that they do not exist.
Delusional Disorder - Causes
Delusions may appear in people who regularly use drugs, legal highs and alcohol, as well as in the elderly, in the course of Alzheimer's disease or senile dementia. Childhood trauma, the death of a loved one, or other psychological events and genetic factors can also contribute to the development of delusional disorders.
Delusional Disorder - Symptoms
It is very common to diagnose persecutory delusions. Then the patient is convinced that he or she is being followed or pursued, overheard, spied on, and even filmed with a hidden camera. These judgments are often accompanied by delusions (references) - the patient thinks that they are of particular interest to the environment, e.g. they are convinced that people in their environment (e.g. queuing at the cash register). Another common delusion is jealousy when the patient thinks he is being cheated on. In such a situation, he organizes his life around constantly checking whether his partner is faithful to him. This disorder is often diagnosed in alcoholics (known as Othello's syndrome). Erotic delusions may also appear in the course of the disease. They can be talked about when the patient is convinced that another person is in love with him. Then the sick person tries to contact a person who is allegedly in love with him, even though he or she is actually not interested in him, and even avoids him. In turn, the so-called Puffiness is characterized by constant investigation of alleged "wrongs" or demanding "one's rights", often in court and in various offices.
Other types of delusions that may arise in the course of delusional disorders:
- delusions of grandeur - the patient introduces himself as someone known, rich, influential and specialfriends (e.g. as a politician);
- delusions of possession - the patient is convinced that others influence him in various ways, that they control his behavior from the outside, e.g. through a chip implanted under the skin or telepathy;
- hypochondriac delusions - the patient claims to be seriously ill, for example with AIDS or cancer. He interprets each sensation as a symptom of a terminal disease. Sometimes it takes the form of a disease called Münchhausen syndrome, which involves taking the role of a sick person (simulating the symptoms of the disease) and demanding hospitalization;
- nihilistic delusions - the patient is convinced that he is dead or that some of his organs have decayed;
A special type of delusional disorder isKandinski-Clérambault syndrome . It is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of four types of delusions: carrying, overwhelming, influencing and revealing (the feeling that someone is reading our minds). In addition, this disease is characterized by mantism - a rush of one's own thoughts, pseudohallucinations and psychological hallucinations.
Delusional Disorder - Treatment
A person with delusional disorders is not aware of his disease, he is completely uncritical about the symptoms of the disease, therefore treatment (usually compulsory) begins when the disease is already in an advanced stage, and thus - possible to diagnose by environment.
Antipsychotic drugs are used in the treatment of delusional disorders. The treatment is complemented by psychotherapy.