Delusional Disorders
Delusional disorders account for one of the most common types of psychological disorders that exist in the world today. Studies suggest that this disorder accounts for 1% to 2% of admissions to inpatient mental health facilities in the world. Delusional disorders can be defined as the, “the presence of one or more non-bizarre delusions that persist for at least 1 month”. The non-bizarre delusions are considered to be plausible which means that the person’s theory could actually occur a small proportion of the time. There are many sub-types of delusional disorders, which are Erotomaniac Type, Grandiose Type, Jealous Type, Persecutory Type, Somatic Type, Mixed Type and Unspecified Type. We decided to choose the persecutory type since it is the most common type of delusional disorder and its cause and effects are being researched immensely.
The persecutory type of delusional disorder, or also known as the paranoid sub-type disorder, is a physiological sub-type of disorder within the delusional disorder in which patients believe that they are being persecuted or harmed. Most patients however, are able to lead a good social life without any deterioration in their personality. However, their paranoia can cause disturbances within the community or the patient’s target. The scientific definition of the persecutory type is, “the delusion that 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” .
The same delusions mentioned can cause patients take it to the extreme by appealing to the courts and other government agencies. Another important aspect of this type of delusion is that people get “systemized delusions”. This means that a person with a set of persecutory delusions will use day-to-day occurrences to make up her hypothesis of being harmed; for example, that he or she is being followed by government organizations
The persecutory type of delusional disorder, or also known as the paranoid sub-type disorder, is a physiological sub-type of disorder within the delusional disorder in which patients believe that they are being persecuted or harmed. Most patients however, are able to lead a good social life without any deterioration in their personality. However, their paranoia can cause disturbances within the community or the patient’s target. The scientific definition of the persecutory type is, “the delusion that 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” .
The same delusions mentioned can cause patients take it to the extreme by appealing to the courts and other government agencies. Another important aspect of this type of delusion is that people get “systemized delusions”. This means that a person with a set of persecutory delusions will use day-to-day occurrences to make up her hypothesis of being harmed; for example, that he or she is being followed by government organizations
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