Delusional disorder Classification and external resources
ICD-10	F22
ICD-9	297.1

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). The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision ( ICD -10) is a coding of diseases and signs symptoms abnormal findings The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Psychosis (from the Greek ψυχή "psyche" for mind or soul and -οσις "-osis" for abnormal condition with adjective psychotic Mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception Psychopathology is a term which refers to either the study of Mental illness or mental distress or the manifestation of behaviours and experiences which may be indicative 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. Schizophrenia ( from the Greek roots schizein (σχίζειν "to split" and phrēn A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus.

A person with delusional disorder can be quite functional and does not tend to show any odd or bizarre behavior aside from these delusions. "Despite the encapsulation of the delusional system and the relative sparing of the personality, the patient's way of life is likely to become more and more overwhelmed by the dominating effect of the abnormal beliefs". (Munro, 1999)

The term paranoia was previously used in psychiatry to denote what is now called 'delusional disorder'. Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive Anxiety or Fear, often to the point of Irrationality and Delusion. Psychiatry is a medical specialty which exists to study, prevent, and treat Mental disorders in Humans Psychiatric The modern psychiatric use of the word paranoia is subtly different but now rarely refers to this specific diagnosis.

Contents 1 Indicators of a delusion 2 Features 3 Types 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 External links

Indicators of a delusion

(Munro, 1999)

1. The patient expresses an idea or belief with unusual persistence or force.
2. 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.
3. Despite his/her profound conviction, there is often a quality of secretiveness or suspicion when the patient is questioned about it.
4. The individual tends to be humorless and oversensitive, especially about the belief.
5. There is a quality of centrality: no matter how unlikely it is that these strange things are happening to him, the patient accepts them relatively unquestioningly.
6. An attempt to contradict the belief is likely to arouse an inappropriately strong emotional reaction, often with irritability and hostility.
7. The belief is, at the least, unlikely.
8. The patient is emotionally over-invested in the idea and it overwhelms other elements of his psyche. In Psychoanalysis, the psyche (ˈsaɪki refers to the forces in an individual that influence thought, Behavior and Personality.
9. The delusion, if acted out, often leads to behaviors which are abnormal and/or out of character, although perhaps understandable in the light of the delusional beliefs.
10. Individuals who know the patient will observe that his belief and behavior are uncharacteristic and alien.

Features

(Munro, 1999)

1. It is a primary disorder.
2. It is a stable disorder characterized by the presence of delusions to which the patient clings with extraordinary tenacity.
3. The illness is chronic and frequently lifelong.
4. The delusions are logically constructed and internally consistent.
5. The delusions do not interfere with general logical reasoning (although within the delusional system the logic is perverted) and there is usually no general disturbance of behavior. If disturbed behavior does occur, it is directly related to the delusional beliefs.
6. The individual experiences a heightened sense of self-reference. Events which, to others, are nonsignificant are of enormous significance to him or her, and the atmosphere surrounding the delusions is highly charged.

Types

• Erotomanic Type (see erotomania): delusion that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with the individual. Erotomania is a rare disorder whereby a person holds a Delusional belief that another person usually of a higher Social status, is in Love with
• Grandiose Type: delusion of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, or special relationship to a deity or famous person (e. Megalomania (from the Greek word μεγαλομανία is a historical term for behavior characterized by Delusional fantasies of Wealth, power g. see Jerusalem syndrome)
• Jealous Type: delusion that the individual's sexual partner is unfaithful (see delusional jealousy). The Jerusalem syndrome is the name given to a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas Delusions or other Delusional jealousy, Morbid jealousy, or Othello syndrome is a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a Delusional belief that their spouse
• Persecutory Type: delusion that the person (or someone to whom the person is close) is being malevolently treated in some way.
• Somatic Type: delusions that the person has some physical defect or general medical condition (for example, see delusional parasitosis). Delusional parasitosis also known as delusory parasitosis and delusory cleptoparasitosis, is a form of Psychosis or false belief a "loss of contact

A diagnosis of 'mixed type' or 'unspecified type' may also be given if the delusions fall into several or none of these categories.

See also

• Delusion
• Monothematic delusions
• Paranoia
• Psychosis
• Schizophrenia

Further reading

• Munro, A. A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception A monothematic delusion is a Delusional state that only concerns one particular topic Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive Anxiety or Fear, often to the point of Irrationality and Delusion. Psychosis (from the Greek ψυχή "psyche" for mind or soul and -οσις "-osis" for abnormal condition with adjective psychotic Schizophrenia ( from the Greek roots schizein (σχίζειν "to split" and phrēn (1999) Delusional disorder. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58180-X
• Sims, A. (1995) Symptoms in the mind: An introduction to descriptive psychopathology. Edinburgh: Elsevier Science Ltd. ISBN 0-7020-2627-1
• APA. (2000) "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Text Revision". Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association. ISBN 978-0890420249

External links

• Mental Health Matters: Delusional Disorder
• Psych Forums: Delusional Disorder Forum

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