Everyone is free to feel and believe what they want to believe, but not all of those beliefs that people have are based on truth. Some are even based on irrational ideas. This is where a delusional disorder can begin to develop. When irrational beliefs are held with great condition, despite evidence that disproves the belief entirely, then a delusional disorder may be present.
Statistics on Delusional Disorder
1. Delusional disorder may account for 1–2% of admissions to inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
2. It is extremely rare in children, having an onset range that covers almost the entire adult age demographic.
3. 0.03%. That’s the highest estimate of prevalence of delusional disorder in the general population, making it less prevalent than even schizophrenia.
4. The average age that someone is diagnosed with delusional disorder: 40.
5. It is believed that, as with other mental disorders, a tendency to develop delusional disorder might be passed on from parents to their children.
6. Evidence suggests that delusional disorder can be triggered by stress.
7. Alcohol and drug abuse also might contribute to the development of delusional disorder.
8. People who tend to be isolated, such as immigrants or those with poor sight and hearing, appear to be more vulnerable to developing delusional disorder.
9. The annual incidence of delusional disorder in the general population: 1-3 new cases per every 100,000 people.
10. If new admissions are separated from repetitive admissions to psychiatric hospitals, then 4% of all first admissions are related to delusional disorder.
11. The average patient with delusional disorder is both married and employed. About 7 out of every 10 patients who are diagnosed have been married at least once in the past.
12. There is a higher risk of delusional disorder occurring for individuals who come from a lower socioeconomic status.
13. 50%. That’s the number of people with delusional disorder who have a positive response to medical treatment.
14. Up to 10% of people who have delusional disorder will have their paranoia lead them to the development of schizophrenia.
15. People who are diagnosed with a delusional order are 2x more likely to be treated in an outpatient method than an inpatient method.
16. Recent studies have reported that for DD first admissions females outnumber males.
17. Up to 79% of people with delusional disorder are able to self-report their disorder and seek treatment out on their own.
18. There is a potential relationship between alcohol abuse and the development of delusional disorder.
19. Only 18.7 % of delusional disorder patients had a positive family history of psychiatric disorder.
20. 74%. That’s the percentage of people with delusional disorder that did not have a major period of their life where they could not go to work.
21. 4% of those who are initially diagnosed with delusional disorder are rediagnosed with schizophrenia.
22. The percentage of people who experience a full remission of their delusional disorder: 8%.
23. About 70% of patients who are diagnosed with this disorder are able to experience at least a partial reduction of their symptoms.
Impact and Effects
Be delusional means that a person is having a belief that is impossible to be true. There is a small possibility that a person might be sprayed with chem-trails from an airplane or that the government might be spying on them. Although it is 99.9% unlikely, airplanes can distribute chemicals [think about cropdusters] and there are surveillance orders out on people who may be considered a security threat. A belief that is potentially plausible does not lead to a delusional disorder unless it is persistent and exists for at least one month.
It is the outrageously bizarre beliefs that are 100% impossible that are held to be fact that create the foundation of a delusional disorder. If a man were to believe that he was abducted by aliens, impregnated with kittens, and that one day the Galactic Galaxy of Light and Enlightenment will appoint him as ruler of the universe and allow him to move to Alpha Centauri, then you’ve got someone suffering from this disorder.
What makes delusional disorder particularly unique is the fact that some people can even experience hallucinations that help to reinforce their beliefs. As the statistics will show, this disorder isn’t exactly rare, but it isn’t exactly common either.
Development and Treatment
There have been a few advances in the development of delusional disorder over the last few years. This is mostly because there have been improvements in the development of anti-psychotic medications.
Treatment also typically involves some form of psychotherapy. It is a condition that can actually be extremely difficult to treat because people may be able to recognize their disorder, but not be able to recognize the foundations of what has caused it. The primary goal of psychotherapy is often to reduce the stresses of life that this disorder may cause so that a lesser negative lifestyle impact occurs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapies and family therapies have been found to be the most successful, while individual therapy sessions can help to determine the right dosage of medications to be assigned.
One of the most common outcomes of delusional disorder is that people who are suffering from it will go on to develop depression. The disorder is difficult to control and when progress is difficult to achieve, the end result can put someone into a negative spiral that is difficult to control. Some people will also act on their delusions, which may cause them to become violent and a danger to the general society.
Although a delusional disorder is often a chronic condition, many people can use these statistics and facts to find relief from many of their symptoms. Although a complete recovery is never guaranteed, what is more disturbing is the fact that many people will never seek out help for it. There may be no known way to prevent this disorder from occurring, but by recognizing the signs and symptoms of it, people can be encouraged to seek out the treatment that they need.