Delusional Disorder Treatment Options
What is Delusional Disorder?
Delusional disorder is a mental illness that will negatively impact the life of a person living with the disorder. According to Psych Central, a person with delusional disorder will have beliefs of something occurring in their life that is not out of the realm of possibility, but it is untrue. For example, a person may believe their partner is cheating on them, or that someone close to them is about to die, or that a friend is a secret government agent.
Various problems can arise from delusional disorder, starting with a person’s social life. Although a person may be able to remain living their normal life while experiencing the symptoms from delusional disorder, the delusions they may experience about friends and family can cause them to lose these important relationships. In addition, if a person is having delusions about their boss at work, which to them seems completely real, they risk the chance of losing their job, depending on how they handle the delusional scenario that they believe to be true.
A person with delusional order may not even realize it until their delusions start to become worse, but their friends and family might realize it. There are treatment options available to help a person with delusional disorder, the top of which being psychotherapy.
Treatment Options for Delusional Disorder
Psychotherapy and sometimes medication can help ease the symptoms of delusional disorder.
According to Psych Central, psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for a person suffering from delusional disorder. The most important factor in this therapy is the quality of the patient and therapist’s relationship. The therapist must develop trust and provide the individual with unconditional support for it to be effective.
When a person is experiencing delusions, they are not typically privy to the understanding that their delusions are not real, and if somebody tells them that their delusions are not real, they may react poorly. This reason is why psychotherapy and developing trust is important. A psychotherapist will know the proper precautions to take while helping a person with their illness, and will help them to learn to trust themselves and others again.
Medication is not always prescribed for delusional disorder, but it can be prescribed depending on the individual’s symptoms. Treating delusional disorder can be tricky if the person does not realize they are having delusions. However, it is treatable, and it is best if a person receives help for the disorder before their delusions worsen, or cause them to start having symptoms of other illnesses, such as anxiety or depression.
