Psychiatric disorder in which the person experiences persistent delusions and is not affected by other psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations. It is a rare disorder that occurs in 0.2% of the general population.
The cause is unknown, but it is thought to have a genetic, environmental, and stress-related component.
Symptoms include persistent false beliefs that cannot be explained by the person's culture or religion (delusions). These beliefs can be of various types, such as persecution, jealousy, grandiosity, or erotomania, among others.
To make a diagnosis, the symptoms must have been present for at least one month, and this is done by taking a clinical history and assessing the symptoms. It is important to rule out other causes of delirium, such as drug or alcohol use.
Treatment includes psychological therapy and antipsychotic medication.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), Washington, DC 2022.
- de Portugal E, González N, Haro JM, et al. A descriptive case-register study of delusional disorder. Eur Psychiatry 2008; 23:125.Manschreck TC.
- Delusional disorder and shared psychotic disorder. In: Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 7th ed, Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ (Eds), Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD 2000. Vol 1, p.1243.Kendler KS.
- Demography of paranoid psychosis (delusional disorder): a review and comparison with schizophrenia and affective illness. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1982; 39:890.
