Delusional Disorder Treatment

Delusional Disorder Treatment

Delusional or Delulu is a trending word for the current generation. But this isn’t a fashion trend or a word popularized by a song; it is a serious mental condition where one fails to differentiate reality from delusions. It becomes all the more serious because the patients believe their delusional world to be very real and stop believing in anyone else trying to put some sense into them. The condition impacts relationships, work, and personal lives on an extreme level.
While the mental condition is extremely challenging to deal with both for the patient and the ones living and working with them, effective delusional disorder treatment gives relief. The treatment can help individuals control and manage the condition and the symptoms using different techniques and help them return to normalcy.

Causes and Risk Factors

Similar to most mental conditions, the exact cause of the condition cannot be told by the ones giving the delusional disorder treatment. However, mental health practitioners have been able to make a list of contributing factors to the condition. According to the doctors, the delusional disorder may be caused by hormonal imbalance, extreme stress, or major trauma. A family history of mental illnesses, genes, or substance abuse may also trigger the disorder in some people.

Diagnosis of Delusional Disorder

The mental condition of delusional disorder is a serious issue. Thus, it is extremely important to diagnose it correctly before starting the delusional disorder treatment. So the most important step in the process is to visit a mental health professional and seek delusional disorder treatment centres nearby. A doctor then follows the following steps for the correct diagnosis of the delusional disorder:

Comprehensive Assessment - The professional meeting a patient first writes down their medical and psychiatric history, symptoms, and complaints.

Physical Examination - In the next step, the professional prescribes a few medical tests and a physical examination to find the underlying cause of the symptoms. The tests are done to rule out any other medical conditions, such as brain injury, hemorrhage, substance-induced psychosis, etc.

Psychological Evaluation - In the next step, the doctor performs a psychological evaluation to test the patient’s emotional health. Here, the doctor rules out related mental health conditions with similar symptoms, such as schizophrenia, depression, mood disorder, etc.

Identification of Delusion Types - Once the delusional disorder is confirmed by the professional, the next step is to find and confirm the type of delusion disorder. The following are the types of delusional disorders-

• Persecutory delusions - Believing they are being targeted or harassed always.
• Paranoid delusions - Always suspicious of others’ intentions
• Grandiose delusions - Believing in grand or exceptional capability in every way (fame, wealth, beauty)
• Jealous delusions - Always thinking that their partner is cheating without evidence.
• Erotomanic delusions - Believing people from higher status falls for them.
• Somatic delusions - Convinced that they are suffering from some disease without any proof.
• Persistent delusions - Continued delusions despite treatment
• Mixed delusions - Several types of delusions.
• Unspecified delusions - Delusions that cannot fit into a category.

Finding the type is important for the treatment of delusion disorder. This is because no two treatments are the same despite being under the same umbrella. For example, the jealous delusional disorder treatment is different from that of persecutory delusional disorder treatment or function of persecutory delusional disorder treatment.

Types of Treatment for Delusional Disorder

Delusional disorder treatment is a combination of medication, therapy, support, supervision, and other things based on the requirements of the patient. Since every patient is not the same, the treatment plan is custom-designed by the professionals(at Jagruti Rehab). The following are the main types of delusional disorder treatment which are combined for different types of delusions like paranoid delusional disorder treatment:

Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy) Psychiatrists and therapists talk to the patient, create a bond, and then influence them to understand their delusions and help them manage them using several types of therapies:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This helps the patient find the triggers and then alter their reaction using healthy and positive thoughts.
• Supportive Therapy: People suffering from delusional disorder lose friends and support. Finding emotional support where they can communicate openly and feel cared for and understood becomes a primary need for them. Hence, supportive therapy becomes important in delusional disorder treatment, including persistent delusional disorder treatment.
• Family Therapy: The therapy is given to the entire family together. It is aimed at improving bonds and communication. It also makes the patient feel normal, as everyone in the family gets it.

Medication Doctors use antipsychotic medicines to balance the brain chemicals or hormones to control and reduce delusions. In some cases, antidepressants and mood stabilizers are also prescribed to manage and control co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. The medicines are not disorder-specific but symptom-specific. Hence, it is only a mental health expert who can judge well and decide which medicine to give to a particular patient.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) In other words, shock therapy may also be given to patients in extreme stages. While delusional disorder treatment always starts with milder treatment plans, it is only when a patient doesn’t respond to medicines and all other forms of therapies and loses overall control that a doctor suggests ECT.

Holistic Approaches Mindfulness practices like breathing techniques, yoga, meditation, and other activities are blended with the other methods for optimum results in the delusional disorder treatment plan. These holistic approaches are known to build mental strength and bring calm, and thus, they are recommended to be built as a habit for patients.

Steps of Delusional Disorder Treatment Process

Treatment cannot start without a proper diagnosis and an understanding of the patient well. When you go to see a mental health professional, the following are the steps that they take to confirm your condition and plan the best treatment for delusional disorder for you based on your requirements:

Initial Assessment and Admission The patient is first taken in and is made to go through a complete evaluation through various assessments. A case file is prepared with the patient’s medical history, concerns, symptoms, and any other observations made by the doctor about the patient.

Detoxification, Managing Withdrawal Symptoms, and Assessment The next step is to know if the patient has a history of substance abuse, be it alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc. In such cases, the treatment starts with detoxification of the substance. Also, depending on the substance, withdrawal symptoms management may be necessary by the patient as an addicted person may react extremely without the substance, especially with an existing mental health condition.

Other than checking for substance abuse, mental health professionals in this stage confirm their diagnosis with correct tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. In this case, reality testing is done.

Inpatient and Outpatient Care Options After the final diagnosis comes designing the delusional disorder treatment plan customized for the patient. One of the key decisions to make for a doctor in this stage is whether the patient will need inpatient care with round-the-clock supervision for serious patients or can handle the outpatient treatment while carrying on with regular life.

Effective Delusional Disorder Treatment Approaches

The definition of the best treatment for delusional disorder or the most effective one changes with the patient, their type of delusional disorder, condition they were brought in, their response rate, symptoms, and other factors. However, below we see the general treatment plan professionals follow for the following types of delusional disorders:

• Persecutory Delusional Disorder Treatment: The patients are given a combination of antipsychotic medicines to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and paranoia and cognitive behavioral therapy to understand and handle the delusions.
• Paranoid Delusional Disorder Treatment: In these cases, antipsychotics are used to manage anxiety and paranoia that results in extreme suspicion all the time, along with therapy to help the patient learn to trust.
• Grandiose Delusional Disorder Treatment: The treatment plan includes psychotherapy to manage the ego and get insight into reality, along with some mood stabilizers if needed for manic episodes.
• Jealous Delusional Disorder Treatment: along with some medications to control extreme anxiety around the partner, which causes obsessive thoughts, couple therapy is often prescribed to build understanding and deeper bonds.
• Persistent Delusional Disorder Treatment: For patients with persistent delusions, long-term therapy is needed, along with medicines for the symptoms. These patients are given a mix of therapies to get the best results.
• Mixed Delusional Disorder Treatment: A treatment with a combination of therapies and medications to manage each delusion type is designed.
• Unspecified Delusional Disorder Treatment: A tailored treatment plan with flexible therapies and antipsychotics is used to target the symptoms and manage them.

Medically-Assisted Treatment for Delusional Disorder

Mental health professionals typically use a combination of the following types of medication to control and manage the symptoms of the delusional disorder:

• Antipsychotics (typical and atypical): They regulate hormones to decrease delusions.
• Mood stabilizers: These control extreme mood swings and irritability.
• Antidepressants: They are used to eliminate depressive thoughts.
• Anxiolytics: They manage anxiety.

Rehabilitation Programs for Delusional Disorder

Jagruti Rehab offers rehabilitation programs for patients suffering from mental health conditions needing care under supervision. Our expert team is capable of handling critical patients well. Our focus on traditional treatment methods, along with the use of the latest technology and mindful approaches for the best results, ensure that our patients not only show fast improvements but also get lasting results. Our tailored delusional disorder treatment plan is aimed at developing skills for life to help the patients deal with stress and triggers well, without any relapse, for a healthy and fulfilling life.

Latest Trends in Delusional Disorder Treatment

The latest trends in delusional disorder treatment include the use of technology in therapies and mindful activities and practices. Some therapists are using virtual reality, AI, and online sessions to make mental health treatment accessible, engaging, and interactive with the use of technology. Activities promoting mindfulness, on the other hand, like yoga and meditation, help the human body and mind to heal and be strong. Also, efforts are being made to spread awareness about mental health conditions and remove the stigma around it so that people seek help early when the potential for faster and easier improvement in the condition is very high.

Success Rates and Effectiveness of Delusional Disorder Treatment

With early intervention, the success rate of delusional disorder treatment is very high. However, the rate of improvement depends on several factors, including the condition of the patient, substance abuse, willingness to get treated, causing factors, external stimuli, etc. At Jagruti Rehab, our team focuses on custom treatment to ensure the best results for every patient as soon as possible. We want our patients to go back to living their daily lives surrounded by the people they love in the shortest possible time.