Delusional disorder is a serious mental illness in which an individual cannot differentiate what is real from what is imagined. One of the most prominent features of this mental illness is the presence of delusions, delusions are fixed beliefs in something untrue. A lot of people who suffer from delusional disorder experience delusions that are possible in the real world, these are known as non-bizarre delusions (e.g. Being followed, deceived, unfaithful partner, loved from a distance by a celebrity or famous person for example). These delusions are usually result of misinterpretation or perceptions or experiences, often not true at all or highly exaggerated interpretations of reality.
There main symptoms of delusional disorder are non-bizarre delusions which is the most obvious symptom, hallucinations that are related to the delusion and an angry and/or low mood. Delusional disorder generally doesn’t affect how an individual might socialise and function, unlike other psychotic disorders that may have delusions as a symptom. However there can be cases of people becoming so engrossed with their delusions that it does impact their lives in a negative way. |
Delusional disorder is slightly more common in women than men and often occurs during middle to late life. That said the actual disorder itself it quite rare compared to other disorders where a symptom is delusions such as schizophrenia.
Because delusional disorder is one of many psychotic disorders the exact cause is not yet known, however genetic, environmental/psychological and biological avenues have all been researched. From a genetic point of view, delusional disorder does happen to be more common in people who have or have had family members with the disorder which suggests that it may be passed on from parents to their children. Looking from an environmental/psychological perspective also shows signs that delusional disorder can be triggered by stress with alcohol and drug abuse another factor that could contribute to the condition. Isolation or those with poor visual and auditory sensory also appear to be more vulnerable to developing the disorder. Finally from a biological stance, research into how abnormalities in the brain may play a part in developing delusional disorder. Irregularities in the functioning of the regions of the brain that control perception and thinking could possibly be linked to developing the symptoms of delusional disorder. |