Delusion
A delusion is a false belief that is resistant to reasoning and contrary to the individual's actual experiences and the surrounding evidence. Delusions are often associated with psychiatric disorders, particularly psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, but they can also occur in other conditions such as mood disorders or as a result of substance use.
TYPES OF DELUSIONS
There are several types of delusions, each characterized by the content or theme of the false belief. Here are some common types:
Delusion of Grandiose: This delusion involves an exaggerated sense of self-perception, individual importance, power, knowledge, or identity without any evidence supporting the claims.
Example: A person may believe that they are a famous person, a religious figure, or possess unique abilities without any evidence.
Delusion of Persecution: This delusion involves the belief that an individual is being targeted, harassed, or conspired against by others.
Example: A person may believe that they are being followed, spied on, or that their family members are trying to poison them.
Delusion of Poverty: This delusion involves a persistent and irrational belief that the individual is impoverished or facing extreme financial hardship, despite evidence to the contrary.
Example: A person with a stable income and substantial savings may believe they are impoverished or fear a future financial collapse.
Referential Delusion: This delusion involves an exaggerated sense of personal relevance to external events. An individual might believe that certain cues or elements in the environment have hidden meanings that are directly related to them.
Example: An individual might believe that the headlines in the newspaper contain a secret coded message meant to threaten them.
Erotomanic Delusion: In this delusion, also known as de Clérambault’s syndrome, an individual believes that someone of higher social status, often a celebrity or public figure, is in love with the individual.
Example: A person may believe that a famous actor is secretly in love and communicating romantically with the person. They may obsessively contact or try to connect with that person and make excuses for why they are not responding.
Nihilistic Delusion: This delusion is characterized by the irrational belief that the individual, others, or the entire world no longer exists or has lost all meaning and value.
Example: An individual might believe that the world is an illusion and nothing in life holds any significance.
Hypochondriacal Delusion: The delusion involves an irrational fear of the presence of severe and life-threatening illness, despite a lack of medical evidence.
Example: A person believes that they might have cancer, consistently seeking medical attention and diagnostic tests, despite repeated assurances from healthcare professionals that they are healthy.
Control Delusion: In this delusion, an individual believes that their thoughts, feelings, or actions are being controlled by external forces.
Example: A person may believe that aliens or government agencies are controlling their mind or behaviour.
Jealousy Delusion: In this delusion, the person believes that their partner is unfaithful without any evidence to support the suspicion. It is also known as “Othello Syndrome”, named after the character ‘Othello’ in Shakespeare’s play who murders his wife based on the false belief that she has been disloyal.
Example: Accusing a partner of infidelity based on unfounded beliefs or suspicions.
Delusion of replacement of significant others: In this delusion, also known as Capgras syndrome, an individual believes that someone close to him has been replaced by an exact double.
Example: Someone may sincerely think that their spouse has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter, causing them distress and strained relationships.
Delusion of disguise: In this delusion, also known as Fregoli's Phenomenon, an individual believes that different people in their life ary a single person in disguise, capable of changing their appearance.
Example: An individual might believe that various strangers they encounter are the same person in disguise, trying to monitor or harm them.
Cotard delusion: In this delusion, also known as Cotard syndrome or walking corpse syndrome, an individual believes that they are dead, do not exist, or have lost their organs or body parts. This syndrome was named after the French neurologist Jules Cotard, who first described it in the late 19th century.
Example: Despite being physically healthy, a person may refuse to eat, bathe, or engage in typical daily activities because they are convinced that they are dead.