Delusional Disorder

What is Delusional Disorder?

Delusional disorder, used to be called paranoid disorder. This is a serious mental illness which is called a psychosis, where an individual cannot tell what is real from what is not real. The main part of this mental disorder is the fact of delusions, which are unchangeable beliefs in something that is not true. Pearson’s suffering from delusional disorder experience non-bizarre delusions, which may involve certain situations that could occur in normal life. Some of the examples could be: being followed, poisoned by someone, someone has deceived them, some have conspired against them, or a long distance love affair. These delusional thoughts mostly involve the misinterpretation of certain perceptions or certain experiences. In real life, these delusional situations could be either not true at all or highly exaggerated.

Person’s with delusional disorder often are able to socialize and function in society quite normally, apart from the issues of their delusion, and mostly do not act in an obviously abnormal or in a bizarre manner. They are unlike people with other psychotic mental disorders, which also might have delusions as a part of their disorder. In certain cases, which, person’s with delusional disorder can become very preoccupied with their delusions that their lives may become interrupted.

Although delusions could be a part of more known disorders, such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder by itself is rare. Delusional disorder most often occurs in middle age and in older adults.

How Many Types Of Delusional Disorder Are There?

There are multiple types of delusional disorders depending on the main theme of the delusions that the individual is experiencing. Some the kinds of delusional disorder may include:

• Erotomanic: A person with erotomanic kind of delusional disorder may believe that others, especially important and or famous people, are in love with them. The delusional person might attempt to contact the person who is the object of their delusion, and even stalk them, this behavior is not unusual.
• Grandiose: A person with this type of grandiose delusional disorder has an over-stated sense of self worth, identity, power, and or knowledge. The delusional person could believe she or he is very talented or has made important discoveries.
• Jealous: A person with this kind of delusional disorder may believe that their spouse or sexual partner is cheating on them.
• Persecutory: Person’s with this type of delusional disorder may really believe that they are or others close to them are being abused, or mistreated. They can also think that people are spying on them. They may also think that others are planning to harm them. It is usual for delusional people with this type of delusional disorder to make unfounded complaints to the police over and over again.
• Somatic: A person with this kind of delusional disorder may believe that they have physiological issues or even medical problems.
• Mixed: Person’s with this kind of delusional disorder have 2 or even more kinds of delusions listed above.

What Things Could Cause Delusional Disorder?

Like other psychotic disorders, the exact reason or reasons of delusional disorder is not known at this time. There are researchers that are working to find the cause or causes of delusional disorders , however, one should look into the role of family history/genetic factors, biological factors, environmental factors and psychological factors.

• Genetic: Delusional disorder is more common in person’s who have other family members with delusional disorder or schizophrenia. This fact may suggest that there could be a genetic link involved. Many believe that, similar to other mental disorders, a possibility of developing delusional disorder could be passed on from parents to their kids.
• Biological: There are researchers that are studying how abnormalities of some parts of the brain could be involved in the development of delusional disorders. Delusional people could have an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, they could also have been shown to be connected to the development of delusional symptoms. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that assist nerve cells in the brain to send messages to one other. A chemical imbalance in the brain can interfere with the transmission of messages, which might lead to symptoms.
• Environmental and psychological: Certain evidence may suggest that delusional disorder can be caused by stress. Substance abuse might make the delusions worse or even create them. People who prefer to be alone, like: the disabled, immigrants or those with bad sight and hearing, could be more vulnerable to develop delusional disorder.

What are Some of the Symptoms Delusional Disorder?

Non-bizarre delusions is the most well known symptom of this disorder. Some of the other symptoms that could appear may include:

• Irritability, angry issues, or low mood.
• Experiencing hallucinations like: seeing things, hearing things, or feeling things that are not real or don’t exist, that are connected to their delusion such as: a person that believes that he or she has a certain bad odor, which is not true.