Delusional disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis denoting a psychotic mental illness that involves holding one or more non-bizarre delsuions in the absence of any other significant psychopathology (signs or symptoms of mental illness). In particular, a person with delusional disorder may meet other criteria for schizophrenia and have any marked hallucinations.
A person with delusional disorder can be quite functional. He may hold down a job and more often than not may acheive meidocre acceptance in his chosen endeavor. Despite the encapsulation of the delusional system and the relative sparing of the personality, the individual's way of life is likely to become more and more overwhelmed by the dominating effect of the abnormal beliefs".In particular, the individual will display the following indicators of delusionional diosorder:
1) The individual expresses an idea or belief with unusual persistence or force.
That idea appears to exert an undue influence on his or her life, and the way of life is often altered to an inexplicable extent (i.e. portraying oneself as an expert....like in the field of political consulting).
2) Despite his/her/their profound conviction, there is often a quality of secretiveness or suspicion when the individual is questioned about it. They will cite anonymous sources to support their position.
3) The individual tends to be humorless and oversensitive, especially regarding criticism.
4) The individual tends to quantify existence by over simplification and percieved acceptance. The individual may very well justify his/her/their actions by supporting the perceived position by the reference to the plural form. (i.e. 'we' belive that this will occur)
5) All criticism will be routinely dismissed and affirmatively chastized. An attempt to contradict the belief is likely to arouse an inappropriately strong emotional reaction, often with irritability and hostility.
6) The individual will have difficulty in interpersonal communication. It is not uncommon to find that the subject has multiple (more than one) FAILED marriages and that any children will have emotional disturbances, generally caused by the deficiencies of the subject individual.
7) The individual is emotionally over-invested in ideas and it overwhelms other elements of his/their psyche (i.e. an unnatural aversion to individuals that were once peers but now consider the individual an inferior [west end wandas]).
8) The delusion, if acted out, often leads to behaviors which are abnormal but understandable in the light of the delusional beliefs (i.e telling SOMEONE that you are an FBI agent).
9) Paranoia is a mainstay. The individual may think that someone is watching his house or riding through his neighborhood seeking to cause him ill.
The disorder is treatable. There are highly effective treatments in San Antonio, Texas.
Diagnosis for the Day
Sam the Eagle
