Delusional People: Sold on Their Own Story
Dr Garry Bell
Delusional disorder, previously called paranoid disorder, is a type of serious mental illness — called a “psychosis”— in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.
The main feature of this disorder is the presence of delusions, which are unshakable beliefs in something untrue.
People with delusional disorder experience non-bizarre delusions, which involve situations that could occur in real life, such as being followed, poisoned, deceived, conspired against, or loved from a distance.
These delusions usually involve the misinterpretation of perceptions or experiences.
In reality, however, the situations are either not true at all or highly exaggerated.
People with delusional disorder often can continue to socialize and function quite normally, apart from the subject of their delusion, and generally do not behave in an obviously odd or bizarre manner. This is unlike people with other psychotic disorders, who also might have delusions as a symptom of their disorder. In some cases, however, people with delusional disorder might become so preoccupied with their delusions that their lives are disrupted. Tune in and learn how pervasive and detrimental this disorder is!
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Comment
Above is the intro to the recent Spotify podcast (to listen, click on link below). I just listened to it.
On one level, the issues discussed by the podcaster - an experienced counselor and mental health practitioner - can be understood or interpreted through the lens of epistemology, in addition to viewing through the default prisim of psychiatric disorders. That is because the podcast is all about belief. Specifically, delusional belief i.e., false belief.
What is the difference between a false belief, and a true belief? This is particularly difficult to answer when both cannot be verified or falsified because e.g., they relate to future events. Or, they deal with metaphysical beliefs.
Is belief in God a false belief, or a true belief? Do the believers have a delusional disorder ?
(We recall that Richard Dawkins, a biologist, wrote the best-selling book named The God Delusion)
Do people who believe that COVID is a vile scam, have a delusional disorder?
Whatever the case may be, this podcast is worth listening to in the light of these questions.
