A delusion of reference is the belief that un-related occurrences in the external world have a special significance for the person who is being diagnosed.
The most prevalent delusions, though often coexisting with other types of delusions, are those of persecution, reference, grandiosity, thought control, insertion, withdrawal, and broadcasting.
The types of delusions and hallucinations are often related to your depressed feelings. For example, some people may hear voices criticizing them, or telling them that they don't deserve to live. The person may develop false beliefs about their body, such as believing that they have cancer.
In psychiatry, delusions of reference form part of the diagnostic criteria for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder (during the elevated stages of mania), narcissistic personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder, and even autism when under periods of intense ...
A delusion of reference is a more strongly-held idea of reference. While a person experiencing an idea of reference will change his or her mind when evidence dictates he/she must, a person experiencing a delusion will believe something refers back to him or her even in the face of strong evidence to the contrary.
So, for example, a delusion of reference might occur when someone watches a movie and believes there is a message in the movie that is meant specifically for them, and that makes some kind of “sense”. Delusions of reference may also occur in other media.
Examples
A feeling that people on television or radio are talking about or talking directly to them. Believing that headlines or stories in newspapers are written especially for them. Believing that events (even world events) have been deliberately contrived for them, or have special personal significance for them.
Antipsychotic medications can help with delusions of reference, as can counseling and psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to help people reframe their thoughts and explore logical explanations for their line of thinking. National Institute of Mental Health.
Delusional disorder, previously called paranoid disorder, is a type of serious mental illness called a psychotic disorder. People who have it can't tell what's real from what is imagined. Delusions are the main symptom of delusional disorder. They're unshakable beliefs in something that isn't true or based on reality.
An allusion is an indirect reference, an illusion is something that is not as it seems, and a delusion is something that is falsely believed.
Some people who have severe depression may also experience hallucinations and delusional thinking, the symptoms of psychosis.
Can a person know that they are experiencing a delusion? Created with Sketch. A person can be aware that they are gripped by a belief that others do not endorse and may even actively attempt to disprove, but the belief feels so overwhelmingly true that they cannot shake it, despite evidence to the contrary.
Persecutory type: This is one of the most common types of delusions and patients can be anxious, irritable, aggressive, or even assaultive - some patients may be litigious.
Delusional Disorder in DSM-5
Hence, delusional disorder is characterized by at least 1 month of delusions without other psychotic symptoms. However, hallucinations might be present, but are not prominent and in any case are related to the delusional theme only.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) with psychotic features is a distinct type of depressive illness in which mood disturbance is accompanied by either delusions, hallucinations, or both. Psychotic features occur in nearly 18.5% of patients who are diagnosed with MDD.
Delusions may be present in any of the following mental disorders: (1) Psychotic disorders, or disorders in which the affected person has a diminished or distorted sense of reality and cannot distinguish the real from the unreal, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, schizophreniform ...
People who have psychotic episodes are often totally unaware their behaviour is in any way strange or that their delusions or hallucinations are not real. They may recognise delusional or bizarre behaviour in others, but lack the self-awareness to recognise it in themselves.
Everyone will have a different experience of paranoia. But here are some examples of common types of paranoid thoughts. You might think that: you are being talked about behind your back or watched by people or organisations (either on or offline) other people are trying to make you look bad or exclude you.
Do not reason, argue, or challenge the delusion. Attempting to disprove the delusion is not helpful and will create mistrust. Assure the person that they are safe and no harm will come. Do not leave the person alone – use openness and honesty at all times.
“Word salad” is a term used to describe a severe form of disorganized thinking and speaking. It occurs in people with serious psychiatric or neurological conditions, such as dementia, bipolar mania, brain injury, or schizophrenia.
Some people who experience delusions find different meanings in everyday events or occurrences. They may believe people on TV or in newspaper articles are communicating messages to them alone, or that there are hidden messages in the colours of cars passing on the street.
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person's ability to manage their emotions. This loss of emotional control can increase impulsivity, affect how a person feels about themselves, and negatively impact their relationships with others.
[1] Tangentiality refers to a disturbance in the thought process that causes the individual to relate excessive or irrelevant detail that never reaches the essential point of a conversation or the desired answer to a question.