is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. She directs the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) Learning Collaborative, Connecticut’s statewide learning healthcare system for young people experiencing recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and leads family services for the STEP Clinic. Her work is also informed by her personal experience as a family member of someone who lived with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
A ‘delusion’ might sound like a belief that is obviously unreal. But if someone in your life is experiencing one, it will certainly feel real to them. In some cases, it might even seem plausible to you at first – especially when it draws on real experiences or common fears.
If you have a loved one who has a concerning belief and who you think might show signs of delusional thinking, it’s normal to feel frightened for them, overwhelmed and unsure how to respond. You might wonder whether it’s best to question the belief, to just ignore it or to encourage the person to get help. Many people find themselves caught between two fears: the fear of saying too much and making things worse, and the fear of saying too little and overlooking a serious problem.
This Guide is for people in your situation. As a clinical psychologist, I’ve spent much of my career working with people who are experiencing delusions and other symptoms of psychosis, as well as with the loved ones who support them. My approach is informed by a framework called cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp), which emphasises curiosity, collaboration and reducing distress.
I’ll draw on these experiences throughout this Guide. After saying a bit more about what delusions are, I’ll describe how to consider whether someone in your life is truly experiencing one – and if so, what you can do to help. In everyday language, people use the word ‘delusion’ loosely, but clinically it refers to a belief that remains fixed despite clear evidence to the contrary, and one that is not widely shared within a person’s cultural or social context.
What matters is not just the content of the belief, but how a person experiences it. Often, it’s not one unusual statement that alerts loved ones, but the growing certainty a person feels and the increasing distress and disruption to daily life. I’ve seen versions of this pattern many times.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
