Persecutory delusion

Persecutory delusions are a set of delusional conditions in which the affected person believes they are being persecuted. Specifically, they have been defined as containing two central elements:

According to the DSM-IV-TR, persecutory delusions are the most common form of delusions in paranoid schizophrenia, where the person believes "he or she is being tormented, followed, tricked, spied on, or ridiculed." They are also often seen in schizoaffective disorder and, as recognized by DSM-IV-TR, constitute the cardinal feature of the persecutory subtype of delusional disorder, by far the most common. Delusions of persecution may also appear in manic and mixed episodes of bipolar disease and in severe depressive episodes with psychotic features, particularly when associated with bipolar illness.

When the focus is to remedy some injustice by legal action, they are sometimes called "querulous paranoia".

In cases where reporters of stalking behavior have been judged to be making false reports, a majority of them were judged to be delusional.

If the delusion results in imprisonment or involuntary commitment, the person may feel justified in this belief.

Medications for schizophrenia are often used, especially when positive symptoms are present. Both first-generation antipsychotics and second-generation antipsychotics may be useful.Cognitive behavioral therapy has also been used.

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