Delirium Paraphrenic

Paraphrenic delirium b. - a psychopathological symptom that forms part of the syndrome of mental pathology in schizophrenia, characterized by a chaotic course with a false perception of the surrounding world and one’s own existence. The reason for the development b. may be due to the heredity of mental illness and the negative influence of the external environment -

According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the paraphrenic state is one of the types (endogenous) of mental illness, which is characterized by the presence of delusions containing unusual pictures, or delusions of imagination associated with a pre-existing fantasy world or delusions of grandeur, and at the same time the absence of sensory hallucinations or other mental damage (dementia).

Paraphrenic psychosis is also known as “delusions of grandeur” or “delusions of grandiose humiliation.” Although this type of mania tends to be self-limiting, it can lead to serious consequences such as self-harm or suicide. In this material we will explore the causes of delusions of paraphrenic psychosis, as well as ways to treat and prevent it.

The delusion of the paraphrenic state is characterized by the fact that it represents an overvalued idea, that is, an idea to which exaggerated importance is attached. This allows us to determine that the patient is developing a mental disorder in the form of delirium.

One of the main signs of this mental illness is the pathological nature of perception and thinking, which leads to the formation of a fundamentally new mental world, which takes the form of direct living in a non-existent fantasy world. This pathologically fictional world becomes for the patient a universe that gives “vitality” and a degree of significance to primary ideas and desires. In this fantasy, the patient lives the life of a heroic commander or a rich man who has all the features of a king. The patient longs for the continuation of “fantasies about the kingdom of his greatness.”

The development of delirium is accompanied by ideas of excessive satisfaction and unlimited possibilities in various areas of life: for example, in the “theater of one’s fate”, in the “enchanting utopia of one’s mind.” He exists and lives in his own world, which replaces the real world. In a word, delirium is an obsessive thought (idea) that completely absorbs the patient’s consciousness, turning his life, for a time, into a meaningless existence. The patient loses touch with the surrounding reality, the usual human social circle, completely withdrawing into the world of his fantasies. Delirium is accompanied by a feeling of “invincibility” and a feeling of “omnipotence.” Therefore, communication with such a patient becomes problematic and sometimes dangerous. For all people around, a sick individual poses a danger, becoming a source of discomfort and mental anxiety.

The pathology of the subject's thinking, along with the peculiarities of the course of schizophrenia (disorders of thinking and speech), determine the characteristics of delusional phenomena, among which we can distinguish delusions of attitude, feelings - an obsessive feeling that other people do not respect enough (or, conversely, overly respect) the patient. Along with the obsession of this idea, the patient periodically tries to imitate a conversation with a certain person in order to check whether he feels respect. As a rule, the patient strives to feel better about himself in all areas of his life, presenting himself as having a not very good social position: “A person must live up to his ideals,” “I deserve a good future.” This is the most common idea, which is the central delusional sensation (“do not confuse it with delusional formations of a different nature”). If a person behaves the same way