Delusional Disorder

Due to an ad hoc incident, I have my posting plan changed in order to address the issue at the right time. Hope the piece offering some ideas to my neighbors the importance of mental health. DinDin, take care!

Delusional disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis denoting a psychotic mental illness that involves holding one or more non-bizarre delusions in the absence of any other significant psychopathology (signs or symptoms of mental illness). In particular a person with delusional disorder has never met any other criteria for schizophrenia and does not have any marked hallucinations, although tactile (touch) or olfactory (smell) hallucinations may be present if they are related to the theme of the delusion.

A person with delusional disorder can be quite functional and does not tend to show any odd or bizarre behaviour except as a direct result of the delusional belief. It is worth noting that the term paranoa was previously used in psychiatry to denote what is now called 'delusional disorder'. The modern psychiatric use of the word paranoia is subtly different but now rarely refers to this specific diagnosis.

The type of Delusional Disorder may be specified based on the predominant delusional theme:
Erotomanic Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual. The delusion often concerns idealized romantic love and spiritual union rather than sexual attraction. The person about whom this conviction is held is usually of higher status, but can be a complete stranger. Efforts to contact the object of the delusion are common, although occasionally the person keeps the delusion secret. Most individuals with this subtype in clinical samples are female; most individuals with this subtype in forensic samples are male. Some individuals with this subtype, particularly males, come into conflict with the law in their efforts to pursue the object of their delusion or in a misguided effort to “rescue” him or her from some imagined danger.

Grandiose Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion is the conviction of having some great talent or insight or having made some important discovery. Less commonly, the individual may have the delusion of having a special relationship with a prominent person or being a prominent person. Grandiose delusions may have a religious content.

Jealous Type: The subtype applies when the central theme of the person’s delusion is that his or her spouse or lover is unfaithful. This belief is arrived at without due cause and is based on incorrect inferences supported by small bits of “evidence”, which are collected and used to justify the delusion. The individual with the delusion usually confronts the spouse or lover and attempts to intervene in the imagined infidelity.

Persecutory Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves the person’s belief that he or she is being conspired against, cheated, spied on, followed, poisoned or drugged, maliciously maligned, harassed, or obstructed in the pursuit of long-term goals. Small slights may be exaggerated and become the focus of a delusional system. The focus of the delusion is often on some injustice that must be remedied by legal action, and the affected person may engage in repeated attempts to obtain satisfaction by appeal to the courts and other government agencies. Individuals with persecutory delusions are often resentful and angry and may resort to violence against those they believe are hurting them.

Somatic Type: This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves bodily functions or sensations. Somatic delusions can occur in several forms. Most common are the person’s conviction that he or she emits a foul odor from the skin, mouth, rectum, or vagina; that there is an infestation of insects on or in the skin; that there is an internal parasite; that certain parts of the body are definitely missphapen or ugly; or that parts of the body are not functioning.

Mixed Type: This subtype applies when no one delusional theme predominates.

Unspecified Type: This subtype applies when the dominant delusional belief cannot be clearly determined or is not described in the specific types.

References:
1) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition , Text Revision. American Psychiatric Association.
2) Wikipedia - Delusional Disorder Nov2006