Things you need to know about Delusional disorder
Delusion disorder is a rare and severe mental illness in which an individual gets delusions, accompanied with hallucinations. Sometimes, the person also gets slight symptoms of psychosis. The people suffering from this disorder may feel or act normal but their behaviour is slightly odd than others.
Delusion disorder disrupts a person’s everyday life. The people suffering from this condition get auditory and visual hallucinations. Moreover, they often carry beliefs about the things that are usually unrealistic or unimaginable. The most common beliefs of a person suffering from delusion disorder include the delusions of being deceived, poisoned and getting followed by.
Delusion is associated with a lot of disorders like schizophrenia, psychosis and many more. It usually happens in middle to late life. It's more common in women than in men.
- Hallucinations: A person suffering from delusion disorder starts to create his own beliefs about people or situations. He may even hear voices or sense smells which are merely the hallucinations.
- Mood swing: Mood swing is a common symptom for a person suffering from delusion disorder. It is very hard to have a control over emotions in this situation. The mood of a person constantly fluctuates in this condition, he can move from being delighted to being aggressive for no particular reason.
- Irritation and anger: It is obvious for a person whose mind is unstable with thoughts to get irritated every now and then. Feeling angry, dull and anxious becomes a part of everyday life.
- Restlessness: A feeling of relaxation is an expense that is extremely hard to afford for a person in this condition. Irritation and restlessness is a common symptom found in a person with delusion disorder.
- Somatic: The people in this condition feel that they have certain physical defects or any medical problems. Even though they are perfectly fine inside out; their false beliefs lead to severe mental illness.
- Grandiose: The people suffering from this condition, have an over-inflated sense of knowledge, power, worth and identity. They always stay in a misconception that they are superior than others and has made difference in the society
- Persecutory: In this condition, the person feels being mistreated. The person believes that they are being spied, followed, poisoned, cheated on etc.
- Erotomanic: In this condition, the person believes that the other individual of higher status is in love with them and isn't able to share it. He always try to contact or stalk them out of delusion.
- Jealous: In this condition, the person constantly feels that their partner or spouse is cheating on them. Without having real proof the individual gets the feeling of unfaithfulness, leading to jealousy.
- Mixed: In this condition, the individual suffers from two or more types of delusions like grandiose, somatic and jealous. It gets difficult for them to handle all these and as a result, they frequently get emotionally disturbed.
Delusion disorder is a severe mental illness and complicated to treat, and when a person suffers from mixed disorder, it gets more difficult. The treatment for delusional disorder includes a combination of medication, psychotherapy and other related strategies.
Doctors often prescribe antipsychotic drugs, mood stabilizers, and anti-depressants. However, many individuals find psychotherapies to be more effective, as it focuses on the core emotional problems.
Following are the combination of therapies for delusional disorder used by therapists for treatment:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a sort of psychotherapeutic treatment which is used to help people learn about identifying and changing disturbing thoughts and behavioural patterns which can be helpful for person suffering from delusion disorder.
- Rational Emotive behavior therapy (REBT): REBT is a psychotherapeutic approach to assist individuals in coping up with emotional and behavioural problems and disturbances to lead people towards a better mental health.
- Client centered therapy: Client-centered therapy is a form of psychotherapy developed for people suffering from delusion disorder; this therapy is developed for the growth of a person’s personality by clarifying the ideas to client for him to observe himself more clearly.
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: MBCT is an altered version of cognitive therapy that includes mindfulness practices like meditation and breathing exercises. This type of therapy can result in a useful way for the people suffering from delusion disorder.
- Avoid alcohol or recreational drugs: Alcohol consumption or drug abuse make the condition worse. The consumption of drugs or alcohol for a person suffering from delusion disorder may leave several after-effects as well.
- Keep a diary: In delusional disorder, it is hard for a person to get distracted by the delusions and hard to remember anything; if you are facing it you should keep a diary with you. This diary should include all the necessary details which you have seen in the day, so that you can recall it afterwards. You can also avoid certain situations when they arise by keeping a diary.
- Manage your stress: A person suffering from delusion disorder must avoid the stress and tension by involving himself in performing favourable activities. The activities could be singing, dancing, exercising, reading, painting etc.
- Sleep and appetite cycle: One has to keep a proper diet routine filled with nutritional valued food, consumption of junk food can be harmful. A person should also improve his sleep cycle and have a sound sleep for 8-9 hours to avoid extensive stress.
- Discuss your problems: Sharing the problems with the closed ones can be very impactful for the release of worries and tensions from the mind. A therapist is the best person to discuss the issues for the one suffering from delusion disorder.