The main characteristic of delirious disorder is the presence of one or more delusions that persist for at least a month. In the 17th century, the concept of madness mainly referred to delirium, so “to be crazy?”It was like having delusions, and vice versa. But what is an illusion?
The most well-known and cited definition is that presented by Jaspers in General Psychopathology (1975). For Jaspers, delusions are false judgments that are characterized because the individual keeps them with great conviction, so they are not influenced by irrefutable experience or conclusions. In addition, its content is impossible.
- To identify an illusion as such.
- We must consider the extent to which the experience corresponds to the following aspects:.
In short, delusions are characterized by their conceptual complexity, perhaps that is why it is so difficult to integrate them?In a definition. Today, if we ask someone to describe his prototypical image of a “madman,” he will most likely tell us that he is an individual who believes himself to be Napoleon or who is being persecuted by aliens.
As we said earlier, the main feature of delirious disorder is the presence of one or more delusions that persist for at least a month; the presence of delusions should not be confused with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, delirious disorder is one thing and schizophrenia is another. .
A diagnosis of delirant disorder is not made if the person has already been clinically followed to meet the A criterion of schizophrenia (according to DSM-5). In addition to the direct impact of delusions, the deterioration of psychosocial function may be more circumscribed than in other psychotic disorders.
In addition, the person with a delusional disorder does not behave extravagantly or strangely, as can happen in other psychotic disorders. DSM-5 also shows that, in delusional disorders, delusions cannot be attributed to the effects of a substance (p. E. g. Cocaine) or other medical condition (e. g. Alzheimer’s disease). They also cannot be better explained by another mental disorder, such as a body dysmorphic disorder or an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Dsm-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) mentions the following diagnostic criteria for delusional disorders.
A. Presence of one or more delusions lasting a month or more
B. Schizophrenia criterion A was never met. Hallucinations, if any, are not significant and are related to the delusional theme (for example, being infested with insects associated with delusional ideas of infestation).
This regardless of the impact of delirium or its ramifications, the operation is not very altered and the behavior is clearly not extravagant or strange.
D. Si manic or major depressive episodes were observed, these were brief compared to the duration of the delusional periods.
E. The disorder cannot be attributed to the physiological effects of a substance or other medical condition, nor can it be better explained by another mental disorder, such as body dysmorphic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Again, the DSM-5 cites the types of delusions that exist. In delirious disorder, the following delusions may occur:
In addition to these types, there is also the mixed type (which is applied when no delirium predominates) and the uns specified type, the latter applies when the dominant illusion cannot be clearly determined or is not described in specific types (for example, referencing illusions without persecution or important component).
Delirant disorder is considered difficult to treat. Antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood-stabilizing medications are often used to treat psychotic disorders.
At the same time, there is a growing interest in psychological therapies as forms of treatment; on the other hand, it can be said that there is still a lot of room for improvement in interventions on delusional disorders.
Currently, no form of intervention predominates over others because of the results obtained. Until a specific intervention improves the results of more general interventions, treatment of delusional disorders will likely be based on treatments considered effective for other psychotic disorders and mental health problems.