Delusional disorder

Background

Delusions are fixed beliefs that are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence.

• Delusional subtypes
  • Ertomanic type: when the central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual
  • Grandiose type: when the central theme of the delusion is the conviction of having some great (but unrecognized) talent or insight or having made some important discovery
  • Jealous type: when the central theme of the individual’s delusion is that his or her spouse or lover is unfaithful
  • Persecutory type: when the central theme of the delusion involves the individual’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
  • Somatic type: when the central theme of the delusion involves bodily functions or sensations
  • Mixed type: applies when no one delusional theme predominates
• Unspecified type: applies when the dominant delusional belief cannot be clearly determined or is not described in the specific types