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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Persecutory delusions and catastrophic worry in psychosis: developing the understanding of delusion distress and persistence.

In a recent theoretical account of persecutory delusions, it is suggested that anxiety and worry are important factors in paranoid experience [Freeman, D., Garety, P. A., Kuipers, E., Fowler, D., & Bebbington, P. E. (2002). A cognitive model of persecutory delusions. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41(4), 331-347]. In emotional disorders worry has been understood in terms of catastrophising. In the current study, the concept of catastrophising is applied for the first time with persecutory delusions. Thirty individuals with current persecutory delusions and 30 non-clinical controls participated in a cross-sectional study. The group with persecutory delusions was also followed up at 3 months to assess predictors of delusion persistence. At its most severe, 21% of individuals with persecutory delusions had clinical worry, 68% had levels of worry comparable with treatment seeking GAD patients. Further, high levels of anxiety, worry and catastrophising were associated with high levels of persecutory delusion distress and with the persistence of delusions over 3 months. If future research replicates these findings, worry reduction interventions for individuals with persecutory delusions may be warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Grandiose delusions: an experimental investigation of the delusion as defense.

Two distinct roles for emotion in the development of delusions have been outlined. Some authors argue that delusions defend against low self-esteem and negative emotion (the delusion-as-defense account). Other authors hypothesize that delusions are not a defense but are a direct reflection of emotion and associated processes (the emotion-consistent account). An empirical investigation was conducted of the delusion-as-defense account with reference to grandiose delusions. Twenty individuals with grandiose delusions and 21 individuals without mental illness were compared on overt and covert measures of self-esteem. No evidence for a discrepancy between overt and covert self-esteem in individuals with grandiose delusions was found. One potential interpretation of the results is that the tasks were not able to penetrate defensive processes. However, we argue that in this group, the grandiose delusions do not currently defend against low self-esteem. Instead, grandiose delusions may in part be direct exaggerations of the emotional state of individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Delusion of theft and phantom intruder delusion in demented elderly patients in Japan.

Delusion of theft and phantom intruder delusion are among the most frequent delusions in dementia. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with these symptoms. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey; items included age, gender, dementia diagnosis, cognitive function, and activities of daily living. Other clinical characteristics were evaluated using the quality of life questionnaire for dementia. A total of 217 patients with dementia were rated. Frequencies of delusion of theft were as follows: frequent, 7%; sometimes, 11%; rare, 16%; and none, 66%. Frequencies of phantom intruder delusion were as follows: frequent, 4%; sometimes, 10%; rare, 9%; and none, 77%. Comparison between positive and negative groups with these symptoms revealed that positive groups had higher scores in 2 of 6 domains of the quality of life questionnaire for dementia, namely, negative affect and actions, and restlessness. The positive group with delusion of theft had higher scores in cognitive function and activities of daily living than did the negative group. These results suggest that negative affect and action and restlessness might be related to delusion of theft or phantom intruder delusion and that delusion of theft frequently occurs in the early stage of dementia.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

Hypochondriacal delusions in paranoid psychoses. Course and outcome compared with other types of delusions.

From a large series of patients with delusional psychoses, first-time admitted to the Psychiatric Department, University of Oslo, hypochondriacal delusions were coded as the main delusion in 15 patients (0.4% of all admissions). These patients have been personally followed up by one of the authors (N.R.) after 5-18 years, and by the other author (S.O.) after 23-39 years (mean 30 years). The results are presented, also according to the newer diagnostic systems (DSM-III, DSM-III-R), and the course and outcome of hypochondriacal delusions are compared with those of other types of delusions. Course and outcome are mainly dependent on the diagnostic category, not the type of delusion. It is also demonstrated that the course and outcome in major affective disorders are more favourable than in paranoid disorders, with the latter being significantly different from schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Interrater reliability of ratings of delusions and bizarre delusions.

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the interrater reliability of ratings of bizarre delusions, addressing limitations of previous studies. METHOD: Fifty randomly selected psychiatrists rated bizarre delusions in 30 case vignettes adapted from a previous study by Spitzer and associates. Estimates of reliability were obtained for definitions of bizarre delusions in the DSM-III, DSM-III-R, and draft DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and for the clinicians grouped according to their current and previous experience with psychotic patients. RESULTS: The kappas for ratings of bizarre delusions according to the different definitions and among clinicians with different levels of experience were in the moderate to fair range. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of ratings of bizarre delusions appears to be less than satisfactory for clinical practice, and the increased weight given to this symptom in modern diagnostic systems does not seem justifiable.

Delusions↗
PubMed1990

The frequency of shared delusions in delusions of infestation.

The phenomenon of shared delusions was found in 9 (8.4%) of 107 personally investigated patients suffering from delusions of infestation (88 females, 19 males). A greater number of females (ratio of females to males 3.5:1) "induced" others, whereas a gender ratio of 1:1 was evident in the group of affected patients. Since the ratio of blood relations to non-blood relations was 1:2.3, genetic factors seem to play a less important role than the direct impact of deluded patients on their environment. The rare occurrence of shared delusions of infestation leads to the conclusion that only persons with a paranoid predisposition (paranoide Bereitschaft) may be affected. Cases of induced delusions are also described in which attending physicians act as "inducers".

Austria↗
PubMed2001

[The psychopathology of delusion, the principle of psychonomy and biological theory of delusion].

The psychopathology of the delusional experiences of schizophrenic patients is analyzed on the basis of a sample of 119 drug-naive patients and 502 patients of the Bonn-Schizophrenia-Study. The phenomenology, the forms and themes of delusion, the delusional certainty, the impact on behaviour ("Realitätsbedeutung"), the levels of development of delusional perception and the meaning of the psychological working-up of the primordial delusional experiences ("Wahnarbeit") are described. The structure-dynamic and the 'gestalt'-psychological approaches of Janzarik and Kisker try to derive the phenomenon of delusional psychoses from the psychonomy of the emotional connections, as far as they cannot be explained as immediate symptoms of a somatic illness. [7]. The present study also shows that subjective experiences of schizophrenic patients, suffering from delusions, largely develop psychonomically according to the rules of the psychic motivational dynamic, and that the share of the comprehensible working-up and assimilation with regard to the "schizophrenic end-phenomena" [16] has been considered too little by the traditional psychiatry. But, there are in the view of the basic symptom concept, especially in process active stages, hints at a higher share of the somatic component as to the structure of delusional syndromes. Looking at the processes, determined by the psychic causality on the one side, and at the boundaries of "genetic understanding" [39] in the delusional psychosis on the other side, we tried to answer the question to what extent the delusional psychosis can be understood according to the "principle of psychonomy" [5,6], and, in what respect it seems to be "apsychonomic" and thereby presumably somatically founded. The inquiry yields starting points for a biological hypothesis of delusion, compatible with a multidimensional conception, that reveals understandable connections between delusion and biography and shows the reach of the "principle of psychonomy".

Delusions↗
PubMed1993

Acting on delusions. II: The phenomenological correlates of acting on delusions.

The aim of the study was to identify the phenomenological characteristics of those delusions which are associated with action. The sample consisted of 79 patients admitted to a general psychiatric ward, each of whom described at least one delusional belief. The variables studied included the phenomenology of the delusions, and behaviour. Two behavioural ratings were used, one derived from the subjects' own description of their behaviour and the other from information provided by informants. There was no association between delusional phenomenology and acting on a delusion when the subjects' behaviour was described by informants. When action was described by the subjects themselves, acting was associated with: being aware of evidence which supported the belief and with having actively sought out such evidence; a tendency to reduce the conviction with which a belief was held when that belief was challenged; and with feeling sad, frightened or anxious as a consequence of the delusion.

Acting Out↗
PubMed1992

[Cerebellar infarction presenting erotic delusion and delusion of jealousy in the acute phase].

A 62-year-old female presented peduncular hallucinosis accompanied with outstanding manifestation of delusion of jealousy and erotic delusion in the acute phase of cerebellar infarction. The delusion seemed to appear as the swollen cerebellum was compressing the tegmentum of brainstem. CT scanning revealed the sequential images of the compression by the swollen cerebellum and deformity of the brainstem and their final recovery. The reason why the patient showed the outstanding delusion that is unusual in the ordinary peduncular hallucinosis is unclear. It might be brought about by the acute hydrocephalus induced by the occlusion of aqueduct.

Cerebellar Diseases↗
PubMed1975

[The genesis of religious delusions--a "Karel Gott delusion"].

In one case the psychodynamic cause of believe and (religious) delusion is discussed: the Kohut's conception of the primary narcissism seems to explain it. In spite of this common source profound differences were found. In delusion the are: loss of tradition, incapability of dialogue, disharmony with the environment, loss of trust and independence.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Dermatozoon delusion in hypoparathyroidism--reflections on the genesis of delusions].

Firstly two female patients with hypoparathyroidism and basal ganglia calcifications are described who developed after long course of illness delusions of parasitosis. The pathological cerebral changes responsible for delusions of parasitosis are mostly localized in the brain-stem. Regarding the two case histories and the former literature the relationship between peripheral paresthesias and a supposed disturbance of central processing is discussed.

Aged↗