Delusional disorder symptoms, treatment, description. Characteristics of chronic delusional disorders

delusional disorder It is expressed in the form of delusional thoughts that are associated with ordinary life and last for one month and there are no other signs of schizophrenia.

In the medical literature, which describes the relationship of mental disorders and crimes, especially with violence, delusional disorder is often considered in parallel with schizophrenia.

Based on this, the results of schizophrenia can be equated to delusional disorders.

Delusional disorder differs from schizophrenia in that delusion predominates in the absence of others. Delusional thoughts can be very real and relate to situations such as poisoning, persecution, dangerous infection.

A mental illness such as delusional disorder is relatively less common than schizophrenia. The disease occurs mainly in middle and old age. Psychologically- social activity usually does not change, in contrast to schizophrenia, the disturbances are mainly associated with the basis of the delusion.

In patients in late age delusional disorder may in some cases be defined as paraphrenia, which may be associated with mild dementia. An examination by a specialist of such patients with moderate dementia should be carried out with special attention to be able to recognize delusional ideas and truthful testimony about the negative attitude of others towards an elderly person.

Symptoms of Delusional Disorder

Development of such mental illness may occur due to the presence paranoid disorder personality. These people constantly feel mistrust and suspicion of others and their motives. These signs begin early in adulthood and are present throughout life. Primary manifestations may be expressed in feelings that suggest exploitation of the patient, anxiety of excessive devotion and reliability in financial terms good acquaintances, a predisposition to thoughts of menace in minor discussions and events, constant dissatisfaction and a willingness to respond to ignorance.

There are several types of delusional disorder. The erotomanic type of the disease is manifested by the patient's thoughts about the love of another person for him. It is not uncommon for the patient to try to find contact with an imaginary love object through phone calls, stalking, and stalking. Individuals with this type of mental disorder may have problems with law enforcement because of their actions. There is also this type of this disease, when the patient is convinced of his superiority in various spheres of life. A person is confident in his genius or in committing important discovery. With type c obsession jealousy, the patient thinks that the husband or loved one is constantly cheating on him. All these suspicions are based on inaccurate mental reasoning, which is built on a dubious evidence base.

Diagnosis of the disease is based on clinical examination, obtaining a complete patient history and excluding other special conditions that are accompanied by delusions. It is very important to assess the degree of danger in which the patient can act according to his delusional thoughts.

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Prognosis and treatment of delusional disorder

With such mental illness, how delusional disorder doesn't go bright pronounced violations or personality changes, but delusional manifestations may increase over time. Most of these patients can be employed.

The main tasks in the treatment of delusional disorders are to establish an effective relationship between the doctor and the patient and get rid of the consequences that are associated with this disease. In the case when the patient may pose a danger to others, a decision is made on hospitalization in a medical facility.

Data on the use of a particular drug for treatment is currently not enough, but the use of antipsychotics contributes to a decrease. The task of long-term treatment is to move the patient's area of ​​interest from the sphere of delusional thoughts to another more constructive sphere. This goal is difficult to achieve, but it is sufficiently justified and reasoned.

Which are called "psychoses", in which the patient is not able to distinguish reality from his own fiction. The main symptoms of such disorders are the presence of absurd ideas in which the person is unconditionally confident. His beliefs are unshakable, although it is quite clear to others that they are false or delusional.

What is the patient experiencing?

A person who suffers from a delusional (paranoid) disorder often tells fictional stories that may seem true. The patient can describe situations that happen in real life. For example, a person constantly mentions persecution, believes in their exceptional importance, suspects a husband/wife of infidelity, talks about someone plotting against him, etc. Basically, such beliefs are the result of a misinterpretation of the problem or perception. However, in real life, the above situations turn out to be untrue or extremely exaggerated. Delusional disorders may not interfere with a person's life. He often continues to be active in society, functions normally and usually does not attract the attention of others with his obviously strange and eccentric behavior. However, some cases were recorded when patients were completely dependent on their absurd ideas and their real lives were destroyed.

Symptoms of the disease

The most obvious symptom of illness is the emergence of ideas that are absurd. But delusional disorders are characterized by secondary symptoms. The person is often in bad mood, mostly angry and irritable. In addition, hallucinations that are directly related to delusional beliefs may appear. The patient hears or sees things that do not exist in reality. People with these disorders often fall into deep depressions, which are the result of experienced imaginary difficulties. Patients can even earn themselves problems with the law. For example, if a patient suffers from the delirium of erotomania and does not allow the subject of his phantasmagoria to pass, then he may well be arrested. In addition, a person with a delusional disorder may eventually withdraw from family or friends, as his crazy ideas interfere with the life of loved ones and destroy relationships.

dangerous disorder

Organic delusional (schizophrenia-like) disorder is quite rare, but it is extremely dangerous both for the patient himself and for those around him. Most common cause development this disease becomes epilepsy of the temporal part of the brain, as well as an infection provoked by encephalitis. Often, patients experience attacks of hallucinations and delusions, which can be supplemented by completely unmotivated actions, loss of control over attacks of aggression, as well as other types of instinctive behavior. The conditionality of the specifics of this psychosis is unclear. But, according to the latest data, there are two reasons for the development of the disease: hereditary burden on both sides (epilepsy and schizophrenia) and defeat individual structures brain. Organic delusional disorder is characterized by the presence of hallucinatory-delusional pictures in the patient, which most often contain religious phantasmagoria.

Schizophrenia-like disorder and its features

The heaviest and dangerous disease- schizophrenia. Delusional disorders associated with this disease are characterized by a certain course of thought and perception. In general, the patient does not experience clouding of consciousness or decreased intellectual abilities, but in the course of the development of the disease, cognitive impairments may occur. Disorders that are directly related to schizophrenia affect the basic functions that help a person feel their individuality and uniqueness. As a rule, it seems to the patient that his most intimate thoughts have become known to someone. In such cases, the development of explanatory delusions is quite possible, when the patient is confident in the existence of higher forces that are capable of influencing the thoughts and actions of the individual. Patients often position themselves as the center of everything that happens around. In addition, there are frequent cases of auditory hallucinations that comment on the patient's actions.

Types of delusions

Delusional schizophrenia-like disorder is characterized by delusions on one topic or systematized absurdity on various topics. The content of the patient's speeches can be very diverse. The most common cases are associated with delusions of persecution, hypochondria or grandeur. But the patient's fictitious beliefs may relate to such problems as jealousy, an ugly ugly body, bad smell etc. It may seem to a person that he smells bad, that his face inspires disgust in others. In addition, the patient may even be convinced that he is a homosexual. Other symptoms may not appear, but depressive states are periodically possible.

Type of hallucinations

Delusional disorders are often characterized by the appearance of various kinds of hallucinations. They can be olfactory, tactile or auditory. Persistent hallucinations, such as voices in the patient's head, are a symptom of a schizophrenia-like disorder. The patient may also experience visual mirages. Things or people may appear that do not exist in real life. Tactile hallucinations are characterized by the fact that the patient incorrectly perceives objects by touch. For example, something cold can feel very hot. auditory hallucinations are manifested in the fact that a person periodically hears voices that either comment on the real course of life, or indicate to the patient himself what exactly he needs to do.

Two subtypes of organic schizophrenia-like disorder

There are two types of organic delusional disorder: acute and chronic. The first has the following main characteristics: sudden psychopathological symptoms, as well as severe violations in the functioning of the brain, which may be the result of an acute infection or traumatic brain injury. Second type organic disorder requires more detailed consideration.

Symptoms of a chronic disorder

Chronic delusional disorder has one main clinical symptom: Manifestations of persistent delirium that may last more than three months. This type mental disorder It is divided into three types: paranoid, paranoid and paraphrenic. The first syndrome is characterized by an established delusional system without the presence of hallucinations. Patients have false beliefs that are formed without internal conflicts. With the development of this type delirium, some changes in personality are observed. But there are no obvious signs of dementia, so others perceive the patient as completely adequate person. The patient suffering has illogical and contradictory false ideas. Often there are hallucinations of an unstable nature. But in the course of the development of the disease, delirium can penetrate into all spheres of a person’s life and affect work and family relationships. Paraphrenia is characterized by the manifestation of obviously invented delusions. This form of the disorder has the main feature: false memories and pseudohallucinations.

Diagnostics

If the patient has obvious symptoms, the specialist examines the patient to determine the causes of the unhealthy disorder. Delusional mental disorders cannot be diagnosed using specific laboratory tests. To exclude a physical disease as the cause of symptoms, specialists mainly use research methods such as x-rays and blood tests. If there is no explicit physical cause disease, the patient is referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Doctors of psychiatry benefit from specially designed interviews as well as assessment programs. The therapist is based on the patient's story about his condition and symptoms of the disease. In addition, he takes into account his personal observations regarding the behavior of the patient. Next, the doctor determines whether the person has obvious behavioral disorders for more than one month, the doctor diagnoses the patient with a delusional mental disorder.

Methods of treatment

There are two methods that can help cure delusional disorder. Treatment can be medical and psychotherapeutic. The first way is to use antipsychotics, which block dopamine receptors in the brain. New drugs also affect the production of serotonin. If the patient suffers from depression, is constantly in a state of anxiety and depression, then he is prescribed antidepressants, and in some cases difficult cases- tranquilizers. The second method has the following main goal: to switch the patient's attention from his false fictions to real things. Today, specialists prefer to use cognitive-behavioral therapy, with which the patient is able to make changes in their irrational thoughts that cause anxiety. At severe course delusional disorder, the patient is placed in a hospital to stabilize the condition.

Delusional disorder is a psychopathology that is included in the big psychiatry. The reasoning about the universality of delusional ideas is very difficult, since the psychiatrist never has the opportunity to exclude the possibility that a delusional thought that develops into an idea is absolutely true. In order not to accuse a person falsely, it makes sense to refer to indirect, not so obvious, signs, carefully looking at them, since they are very close to the true ones. Various branches of science are very controversial and not always the topic of delirium is a given that is easy to verify.

Delusional disorder is a very serious pathology, which basically consists of many symptoms. Delusion will still remain the key, it has not changed and cannot be leveled, it changes only with the course of the pathology.

What is delusional disorder?

Violation mental processes as a delusional disorder is very dangerous. It manifests itself as a clearly significant formation of delusional ideas that have individual characteristics. It is the symptom of delirium that dominates as a manifestation of this pathology.

There are many types of delusional disorders, but these types are not diagnostically significant. It can be indicated that the nature of the delusion does not matter for the assumption of such a diagnostic line, only its presence. But it still makes sense to subdivide nonsense for scientific purposes.

Delusions of persecution are common and manifest in this kind ideas. Litigious or Querulan delusions are also characteristic of a certain contingent of patients. Hypochondriacal and dysmorphomanic delusions are also common. The delusion of jealousy is considered very dangerous. Delusions of grandeur may also form.

The diagnosis of delusional disorder in the ICD 10 pathology registry is a separate pathology. It has the registration code F 22 and is characterized by several subtypes. Among them, in the listed sequence with sequential numbering: even if it is a personality type, paraphrenia of late formation, with delusional inclusions of a sensitive nature, a paranoid form, and other forms of the disorder.

The diagnosis of delusional disorder is also available in foreign psychiatry. Their analogue of the ICD is the DSM, in which delusional disorder is numbered 279.1. DSM 5 has slightly different criteria and subspecies, but in general the essence of the pathology is identical, as are the symptoms. Their subtypes of delusional disorder include: erotomanic, grandiose, jealous, persicutory, somatic, mixed, unspecified.

The diagnosis of delusional disorder is common in about 25-30 cases per 100,000 population. The manifestation of delusional disorder falls on the average, and even mature age, depending on the subspecies. Accordingly, this pathology bears great losses for society, since people of 40 years old are the basis of society, and delusional disorder is a disabling pathology.

Causes of Delusional Disorder

Delusional disorder includes its characteristic factors that contribute to its occurrence. The exact root cause of delusional manifestations has not been identified, but still many variants of formation have been found.

Genetics confirms that delusional disorder is a hereditary forms, thus a correlation with family ties was found and it is reliable. But only the development trend is transmitted, so other factors also matter. Confirmation of the separateness of this pathology is the absence of an increase in schizophrenics or depressed individuals in families with delusional disorders.

Biochemists involved in brain processes have found that in delusional disorder you can find identical damaged areas of the brain. An imbalance of neurotransmitters with a violation of intersynaptic transmission is the pathogenetic mechanism that forms a delusional disorder.

The environment and mental environment are no less influential factors for adequate coexistence, and if they are violated, pathologies are also formed. Influenced by external hazards, according to the type of stressful situation, there may be a psychological shock or abuse. There is a delusional disorder in individuals with handicapped, for example, with deafness and blindness, they may form delusional ideas due to misunderstandings. This pathology can be formed in emigrants, since they are completely unadapted in a new society for themselves.

And yet, delirium as a symptom can have many different origins. Neuropsychiatry dealing with advanced stages neurological diseases, found that almost all pathologies with damage to the limbic system and ganglia in the late stage have delusions among their symptoms. Organic delusional disorder is directly associated with the presence of an oncoprocess or other organic matter. These data are very poorly researched, but the limbic system influences a large number of thought processes. So sometimes the healthy hemisphere delusionally explains sensations that the hemisphere with pathology misinterprets. Pathologies with disorders of the intellectual-mnestic sphere can also include delusional disorder in their composition, for example, in Alzheimer's pathology.

On the part of psychodynamics, delusional disorders are inherent, that is, characteristic of hypersensitive individuals who take everything too closely. Many of their psychological processes are somewhat altered, as was found in the psychoanalysis of individuals with delusional disorder. Z. Freud believed that delirium is not quite a pathology, but part of the cure, acting as defense mechanism. Later, Norman Cameron studied the development of delusional disorders in society and found that these are: social isolation, exaggerated expectation of resentment, situations that increase distrust, lowered self-esteem, adverse feelings, such as envy, excessive fault finding and excessive thinking about negative situations. In general, psychologists associate delusional disorders with incorrect or pathological experiences of certain childhood stages of life.

Symptoms of Delusional Disorder

The diagnostic criteria for delusional disorder best describe the symptoms. The delusional system is not typical for schizophrenia, because in schizophrenia, there is a certain system for the formation of delusions, at first it is monothematic, and then it corresponds to experienced hallucinations. The delirium is quite persistent and persists for more than three months. Absence of schizophrenic criteria important symptom for a delusional disorder, because the presence of abulia as a defect automatically discards the delusional disorder variant. Although some paresthesias may occur in delusional disorders, auditory delusions, like illusions, are unstable hallucinatory experiences.

In a delusional disorder, there may be episodes of mood disturbances, but the delusion itself remains after the leveling of affective manifestations. It is also necessary to exclude a psychotropic disorder and the presence of organic matter. Organic delusional disorder, on the contrary, implies the presence of organic matter.

Delusional schizophrenia-like disorder is characterized by more expressive bizarre delusions. Cognitive deficit can be, as a symptom, with comorbidities that combine delusional disorder.

Many types of delusions have their own distinct characteristics. Theories related to overvalued ideas, are manifested by less expressive complaints than delirium. This is due to the fact that they are a feature that is easier to level than nonsense. The most common ideas of significance, uniqueness and peculiarity. Such individuals are sure that they are the height of talent.

The delusion of jealousy is manifested by the ideas of the partner's infidelity, which are expressed in a completely absurd manifestation. Persecutory ideas are very exhausting for the individual, forcing him to hide from everything and everyone. Erotomanic delusions are associated with ideas of a love nature to famous people, while it seems to the individual that they are also experiencing love feelings this people. This often leads to the fact that the individual is constantly trying to contact the object of his erotomania.

Somatic delirium is synonymous with hypochondriacal. The individual is sure that he has a physical defect. There are also mixed type delusions that combine with several types of delusions.

According to DSM, ridiculous nonsense should be at least a month old. Diagnosed in the absence of schizophrenia. Behavioral manifestations should not be ridiculous, the individual is quite consistent.

Acute delusional disorder

Organic delusional disorder usually develops acutely. At the same time, depending on the reasons, they have their own specifics. An organic delusional disorder is either hereditary or develops organically.

Acute symptoms can be transient or persistent, depending on the nature of the pathology that provoked the delusional disorder. If, for example, an emigrant comes to a foreign country, then he can form delusional ideas. But after returning home and starting to understand speech again, the individual will get rid of all delusional ideas. And yet, if there was such an episode, then we can expect its repetitions.

The onset of the disorder occurs quickly, the symptoms are productive pathopsychological. The suddenness of the disorder in time can be from several hours to three months. If the pathology does not go away, then it is no longer considered acute. Violation of brain functions in this case is acute and a serious pathology becomes the cause of it. TBI or acute infection, affecting the brain usually becomes the root cause. The treatment of acute delusions either easily relieves the individual of suffering or works poorly. In the second case, different outcomes are possible, ranging from fatal, ending with the progression of acute delirium or its transition to chronic.

Acute paranoid can be considered a subspecies of delusional disorder. It lasts for hours, or a maximum of a few days. Manifested by sensations and ideas of persecution with some perceptual disturbances. These include separate hallucinatory sensations, mostly verbal, illusions and fear. Formed often with alcoholism.

Acute stress disorder may also include delusions. The passage of it is also fast and can be paralleled with a stressor within a few minutes.

Chronic delusional disorder

Chronic manifestations of delusional disorders can have several aspects. are violated mental functions, moreover, classification as a typical schizophrenic or is not subject to. Although the delusions of chronic delusional disorder are very mundane, involving poisoning, stealing, or discussion, there may be more elaborate delusions.

Delusional schizophrenia-like disorder is formed with the presence of more elaborate delusions, but still most often these are ideas of influence, persecution and damage. In addition, although the formation of a defect does not occur, hallucinatory echoes are possible. Delusional schizophrenia-like disorder manifests itself at an older age than schizophrenia, the delusions are always persistent and present for more than three months.

delusional disorder chronic type may have shapes. Paranoia is ideas of persecution, but they are not yet perfectly crystallized. This is such a small one that interferes with life, but does not yet enslave. It is monothematic and structured, the individual does not change his views, does not interweave new elements. But the personality type gradually becomes paranoid, which greatly complicates the life of others. Such individuals do not suffer from mnestic-intellectual decline, which is why the induction of delirium is possible, when the delirium begins to convince the healthy one. If a healthy person is pulled out of communication with a paranoid person, then his delirium will stop.

In the paranoid variant, the delirium is already polythematic, the individual focuses on additional features which he notices. Delusion no longer seems logical, obvious contradictions are visible, which it is not possible to convey to a delusional individual. Paraphrenic syndrome can already lead to dementia, but not typical, but specific, with its own characteristics. It manifests itself as a kind of megalomania with ideas of a special origin and its own genius.

Delusional schizophrenia-like disorder can sometimes include false memories, like cryptomnesias. And the involutionary paranoid basically leads to weaving into paranoid delusions neighbors and writing constant complaints about them to the Housing Office.

Delusional Disorder Treatment

The relief of delusional disorders is based on basic methods. Actual use of medications for relief and psychotherapeutic agents.

For psychotherapy, distraction from the problem or its direct treatment. Hypnosis will help to obscure the problem for a relatively short time and at the same time give a quick effect, the cognitive-behavioral method also works. Determining the problem requires deep introspection and psychoanalysis, which can take more than five years. It is important to either obscure the subject of the disorder, shifting attention to certain aspects, or decide what will allow delirium to be removed. With behavioral, behavioral therapy the goal is achieved by changing the behavior and eliminating the wrong behavioral aspects.

Relief with drugs is also effective, but requires lifelong administration and maintenance therapy, depending on comorbidity. Since the advent of antipsychotics in the 20th century, psychiatry has experienced a significant breakthrough. Now it is these drugs that support patients of this kind. All groups apply, depending on accompanying symptoms: Haloperidol, Olanzapine, Truxal, Tizercin, Aminazine, Clopixol, Moniten, Risperidone, Azaleptol, Zyprexa, Azapine, Clozapine Rispaxol, Solian, Soleron, Quetienron, Quedtiapine. They act by blocking dopamine, which causes productive symptoms. A group of atypical antipsychotic drugs also has an active effect on serotonin.

With concomitant oppression or in integrated approach with psychotherapy, tranquilizers are prescribed: Benzodeazepines, Seduxen, Sibazon, Valium, Gidazepam. In cases of affective symptoms, antidepressants are used: Amitriptyline, Fluoxetine, but their use is dangerous due to increased psychoproduction.

Delusional disorder, sometimes also called paranoid disorder, is a serious mental illness in which a person cannot distinguish reality from what appears to him in his own imagination.

The main feature of a delusional disorder is the presence of delusional ideas in the patient, which are unshakable for him, but in no way correspond to reality.

People suffering from one form or another of delusional disorder are in captivity of various delusions, they are presented with situations that cannot arise in real life. For example, it seems to them that they are going to be poisoned, there is a conspiracy against them, and so on.

First of all, such misconceptions are associated with an incorrect interpretation of perception or experience. Usually situations are either not true at all, or are greatly exaggerated from the usual point of view.

People with a delusional disorder can often continue to communicate and function normally in areas that are not related to the subject of their delusion. They do not behave strangely, as people with other mental disorders do. Sometimes it happens that patients are so absorbed in their own delusional ideas that this affects all areas of their lives and activities.

While delusions can be a symptom of more common illnesses such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder itself is quite rare. Delusional disorder is most common in mid to late life, and is slightly more common in women than in men.

Types of Delusional Disorder

Exist different types delusional disorder based on the main theme of the patient's delusions. They include: based on the main theme of the delusions experienced. Types of delusional disorder include:

• Erotomania. A person with this type of delusional disorder believes that some very important person or famous person is in love with him or her. A person may try to make himself known to such a person in some way, which is often the reason for his annoying behavior. People with this type of delusional disorder often experience famous singers, actors and public people.
• Supervalue. A person with this type of delusional disorder has an inflated self-esteem. The patient believes that he has a number of virtues, valuable knowledge, has magical power over others. A person may believe that he has a great talent or that he has made an important discovery.
• Jealousy. A person with this type of delusional disorder believes that his or her spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful.
• persecution mania. People with this type of delusional disorder believe that they (or someone close to them) are currently being abused, or that someone is spying on them or planning to harm them. Such people very often file complaints with law enforcement agencies.
• False beliefs associated with somatics. A person with this type of delusional disorder believes that he or she has a physical defect or medical problem.
• mixed. People with this type of delusional disorder have two or more of the types of delusions listed above.

What are the symptoms of a delusional disorder?

Experts believe that the main symptom of a delusional disorder is the presence in a person of peculiar, but not eccentric, delusional ideas. Other symptoms may include irritability or depression, periodic hallucinations associated with the patient's delusion.

Causes of Delusional Disorder

As in many other cases, exact reason occurrence of delusional disorder is still unknown. Researchers note the role of influence on the occurrence of the disease of various factors: genetic, biological, environmental and psychological.

• genetic: Delusional disorder is more common in people who have family members or relatives who also have a delusional disorder or have schizophrenia. This suggests that genetics is the cause of delusional disorders, as there is a tendency for it to be passed on from parents to children.
• Biological: According to research, disorders in the functioning of certain areas of the brain can also be the cause of delusional disorders. First of all, this applies to those areas that are responsible for controlling perception and thinking.
• Ecological / psychological: Evidence suggests that delusional disorder can be triggered by stress. Alcohol and drug abuse can also contribute to this condition. Delusional disorders can also occur in immigrants (people who are forced into isolation), as well as in people with poor eyesight and hearing.

Delusional Disorder Diagnosis

If symptoms of a delusional disorder are present, the physician should examine complete history disease and conduct a physical examination of the patient. There are no specific tests to diagnose delusional disorder, but a doctor may use other tests and tests to rule out a physical illness as the cause of the symptoms. If the doctor finds no physical cause for the symptoms, he or she may refer the patient to a psychiatrist or psychologist, health professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illness.

Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interviews and assessment tools for a person suspected of having a delusional disorder. A delusional disorder is diagnosed if the patient has non-eccentric delusions that occur at least once a month and no symptoms of other types. psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

How is delusional disorder treated?

Treatment for delusional disorder most often involves medication and psychotherapy. Delusional disorders are difficult to treat because the people who suffer from them are very often not ready to admit that a psychiatric problem exists. According to statistics, about half of patients after application antipsychotic drugs experienced partial improvement.

Antipsychotic drugs are primary view treatment of delusional disorder. Sometimes to medicine Psychotherapy can be a useful adjunct as a way to help patients better manage themselves and cope with the stresses associated with their delusional beliefs.

The types of helpful psychotherapy include:

• Individual psychotherapy. Can help a person recognize and correct existing problem and more adequately perceive reality. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Can help a person learn to recognize and change the way they think and behave that lead to anxiety.
• Family Therapy. Can help families deal more effectively with a loved one who has a delusional disorder, allowing them to do their part to improve their lives.

In the treatment of delusional disorders, such medications like neuroleptics. Antipsychotics have been used since the 1950s to treat delusional disorders. Along with them, new generation drugs are also used, which are atypical neuroleptics and act on serotonin and dopamine receptors. Patients can also be prescribed various tranquilizers and antidepressants.

What are the complications of delusional disorder?

• People with a delusional disorder may experience delusion-induced depression.
• The delusions that a person is obsessed with can also provoke him to commit acts of violence or get him into trouble with the law. For example, a person experiencing delusions associated with erotomania and pursuing the object of his delusion can be arrested if he breaks into someone else's home, and so on.
• People with delusional disorders also withdraw from others because they do not understand why others do not share their false beliefs.

Delusional disorder: prognosis for recovery

The prognosis for recovery for people with delusional disorder varies by individual, type of delusional disorder, and life circumstances this person, including the support of loved ones and the willingness of the patient to adhere to treatment. Delusional disorders are usually chronic, but proper treatment many people get relief. Some patients recover completely, while others experience delusional episodes with periods of remission (no symptoms). Unfortunately, many people with delusional disorder do not seek help. For some, it is difficult to recognize the very fact of the existence of a mental illness, others are simply embarrassed to apply for medical care. Without treatment, delusional disorder can be a lifelong illness.

Can delusional disorder be prevented?

There are currently no known ways to prevent delusional disorder. Nonetheless, early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce the occurrence of problems associated with delusional disorder in a person's life.

Denial of responsibility : The information provided in this delusional disorder article is for informational purposes only. It cannot be a substitute for consultation with a health professional.