Cognitive models propose that paranoia and persecutory delusions arise from misinterpretation of personal experiences as threatening, driven by maladaptive beliefs, anomalous perceptions and biased ...

Professor Daniel Freeman, clinical psychologist, explains how delusions may be unfounded but they cause real distress and misery for sufferers—who feel constantly unsafe. He set himself the challenge ...

Six months into experiencing psychosis, Susan Weiner woke up from a nightmare with a disturbing realization: An evil dictator had gained access to her unconscious, and was going to make her a serial ...

Rational beliefs are formed on the basis of solid evidence and are open for appropriate revision when emerging evidence makes them less likely to be true. In contrast, a person with a delusion will ...

Julia Sheffield, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has dedicated her career to solving the mysteries of psychosis. As a clinician, Sheffield, the Jack Martin, MD ...

Delusions are fixed beliefs that do not change, even when a person is presented with conflicting evidence. Delusions are considered "bizarre" if they are clearly implausible and peers within the same ...

Yes, delusional disorder is a real, diagnosable condition. Distinct from schizophrenia, delusional disorder occurs when a person holds one or more fixed false beliefs while otherwise functioning ...

Delusional disorder is diagnosed when a person has a consistent and persistent belief that is totally contrary to reality. A delusion is best defined as a bizarre or absurd belief in something that is ...