delusions

I believe, as Richard Bentall points out in his books, that there are grains of truth to delusions. Obviously they can get distorted. In one example he pointed out, a woman was not actually delusional about what she was perceiving, she had actually experienced a real threat. Nevertheless, I believe she was medicated and institutionalized. I'm tired of being told I'm delusional about EVERYTHING! Come on now, I haven't been right about anything? I know I'm a genetic set up (father was ill) for delusions, but maybe I'm delusional because I want to believe the delusions. But I don't want to live in a fantasy world, either. Any thoughts on this, anyone?
She's Come Undone (diagnosed with Erotomanic DD)

She's Come Undone wrote:I believe, as Richard Bentall points out in his books, that there are grains of truth to delusions.

If you have audio or visual hallucinations to enough of a degree you are labelled with a psychosis. What of those that see the Virgin Mary? There are certain states of being that for religious purpose seem to be overlooked, except by the staunchest of individuals who are so paranoid in there own right they diagnose.

For instance... my diagnosis of psychosis was based on the fact I was seeing dead people that were passing messages. Those messages were toted as valuable to the recipients, and also to a varied offer of science that lead to a subset of visits to a native shamin. In the spiritist movement I would have been toted as a medium, to a psychiatrist I was boardering schizophrenia. Perspective in understanding is met by skepticism by those that do not seek, nor want to understand what is being observed. Take Narcissism for instance... Grandeur is another peculiar state of protectionism. It is typical for people to fear what they do not understand, and it is very hard for others to comprehend what they have not been exposed to, or be open minded to things that they fear, espcially if what they fear is present in what they are observing. Welcome to the wonderful world of prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry.

She's Come Undone wrote:Obviously they can get distorted. In one example he pointed out, a woman was not actually delusional about what she was perceiving, she had actually experienced a real threat. Nevertheless, I believe she was medicated and institutionalized.

Misdiagnosis happens all the time in medicine. It's a pseudoscience left up to the interpretation of the doctor based on the presented criteria. I just read an article in the local paper today, justified by a respected doctor that a miss diagnosis of breast cancer resulted in a improper surgery being performed. Anytime you have a human mind involved you are prone to error. To err is human. Think about it, you're relying on another human mind that by all intensive purposes could be theoretically as screwed up as yours. I'm not justifying paranoia, but the possibility is always there. There are individuals in any position who are there for egomanical, psychopathic, or socipathic reasons. You have no idea, you just trust because we often don't have any other choice presented to us to anything other than that. When we begin to question anything, we are labelled paranoid, or exhbiting psychotic tendencies or whatever other terms are deemed valuable by the observant.

She's Come Undone wrote:I'm tired of being told I'm delusional about EVERYTHING!

That's the beauty of second opinions. If you don't like that one, get another one. Keep going until you get one you like. Who's stopping you? Those are also very broad and general phases by label. That once you've been labelled, it's very hard to convince anyone otherwise. You're no longer a representation of the traits that make you a human being. You are regarded as the flaws that make you your label. I would hazard you have a couple of choices...

-move to the bush and seclude yourself from the world.
-surround yourself with other people that actually have your best intentions in mind.
-recognize they probably have issues to, and just ignore them, being okay in who you are, and not worrying so much about what other people think of you.

If you know you're not... then don't take it to heart. That's their problem, don't take it on. It's not yours.

Be well.

You're right. If you have a false belief it doesn't mean it is a delusion. I'm actually opposed to the idea of a 'delusion'. 'Delusions' only need to be treated when they cause you suffering. Don't see yourself as the label of mental illness and 'delusion'. Instead see yourself as a normal human being.