Delusions

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Kinds of Delusions

  • paranoid delusion


  • Selected Abstracts


    A CASE REPORT OF PARANOID DELUSION WITH GALANTAMINE USE

    JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2005
    Abid Iraqi MD
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    MCGINN ON DELUSION AND IMAGINATION

    ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY, Issue 4 2006
    Gregory Currie
    First page of article [source]


    Delusion and desire: erotomania revisited

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2000
    B. D. Kelly
    Objective: This paper examines the phenomonology in a case of erotomania and reviews classical and contemporary treatment options. Method: A case of primary erotomania is described. Results: Treatment with hospitalization and risperidone produced rapid clinical improvement. Conclusion: Atypical antipsychotic drugs may be useful in the treatment of this interesting syndrome. [source]


    Chronological Changes of Plasma Homovanillic Acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) Levels in 4 Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy who Developed Psychosis-Like Symptoms (Hallucination and Delusion) During Zonisamide (ZNS) Administration.

    EPILEPSIA, Issue 2000
    Takuya Ueno
    Purpose: Zonisamide (ZNS) is a relatively new antiepileptic drug with an extensive therapeutic spectrum. However, ZNS can produce psychiatric side effects. In this study, we serially measured plasma hoinovaniliic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) levels in 4 patients with epilepsy who developed psychosis-like symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) during ZNS administration. Methods: Subjects comprised 4 patients (3 males and 1 female) with temporal lobe epilepsy ranging in age from 18 to 28 years. Intervals from the start of ZNS administration to the appearance of psychiatric symptoms ranged from 36 to 707 days. Intervals from achievement of the maximal dose to the appearance of psychiatric symptoms ranged from 2 to 240 days. In these 4 patients, the maximal doses of ZNS ranged from 300 to 600 mg/day. In 3 cases, serum ZNS levels were within the effective therapeutic concentration range wlicn syinptoms appeared. However, in 1 case, the serum ZNS level exceeded thc therapeutic level. In all cases, psychiatric symptoms disappeared after ZNS was switched to other antiepileptic drugs and anti-psychotic agents (2-5 mg/day of haloperidol or 10 mg/day of thioridazine) were added. In these cases, we serially measured plasma HVA and MHPG concentrations. Results: Case 1 was a 28-year-old male. Delusions of persecution appeared 190 days after ZNS administration was started. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 12.7 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.4 ng/ml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 14.5 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 6. I ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, whereas the MHPG level was slightly increased. Case 2 was an 18-year-old female. Auditory hallucinations appeared 320 days after ZNS first was administered. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 9.6- 10.0 nghl and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.3,6.1 ng/ml. MHPG levcls at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 4.14.2 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 3.1 ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, but there was no increase in MHPG. Case 3 was an 18-year-old male. Delusion of persecution appeared 707 days after ZNS administration was started. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 10.6 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.2 ngiml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.3 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 3.9 ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, plasma HVA level was increased, while the MHPG level was slightly increased. Case 4 was a 20-year-old male. Auditory hallucination appeared 36 days after ZNS was administered. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 13.6 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.2 ng/ml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.4 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 6. I ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, but there was no increase in MHPG. Conclusions: In all patients, the plasma HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms was higher than the corresponding level at time of disappearance of psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms may have been associated with activation of dopaniine by ZNS. MHPG levels were slightly increased in 2 cases. However, in thc other 2 cases, there were no changes in MHPG. The influence of ZNS on neurotransmitter metabolites should be further investigated in a larger nuniber of patients. [source]


    Refining the Explanation of Cotard's Delusion

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 1 2000
    Philip Gerrans
    Recent work in cognitive neuropsychiatry explains the Capgras and Cotard delusions as alternative explanations of unusual qualitative states caused by dam-age to an affective component of the face recognition system. The difference between the delusions results from differences in attributional style. Cotard patients typically exhibit a style of internal attribution associated with depression, while Capgras patients exhibit the external attribution style more typical of paranoia. Thus the Cotard patient attributes her condition to drastic changes in herself and the Capgras patient attributes the same changes to alterations in the environment. I suggest three modifications to this explanation. Firstly, the nature of the affective deficit in Cotard cases may be more global than in Capgras cases, resulting from the diffuse effects of the neurochemical substrate of depression. Secondly, this explanation gives us additional insight into the content of the delusion. It is unsurprising that persons whose global affective responses were suppressed would explain their lack of response by saying that they had no bodily existence. Finally I suggest that in Cotard cases the delusion is produced by a reasoning deficit, rather than attributional style. [source]


    Chronological Changes of Plasma Homovanillic Acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) Levels in 4 Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy who Developed Psychosis-Like Symptoms (Hallucination and Delusion) During Zonisamide (ZNS) Administration.

    EPILEPSIA, Issue 2000
    Takuya Ueno
    Purpose: Zonisamide (ZNS) is a relatively new antiepileptic drug with an extensive therapeutic spectrum. However, ZNS can produce psychiatric side effects. In this study, we serially measured plasma hoinovaniliic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) levels in 4 patients with epilepsy who developed psychosis-like symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) during ZNS administration. Methods: Subjects comprised 4 patients (3 males and 1 female) with temporal lobe epilepsy ranging in age from 18 to 28 years. Intervals from the start of ZNS administration to the appearance of psychiatric symptoms ranged from 36 to 707 days. Intervals from achievement of the maximal dose to the appearance of psychiatric symptoms ranged from 2 to 240 days. In these 4 patients, the maximal doses of ZNS ranged from 300 to 600 mg/day. In 3 cases, serum ZNS levels were within the effective therapeutic concentration range wlicn syinptoms appeared. However, in 1 case, the serum ZNS level exceeded thc therapeutic level. In all cases, psychiatric symptoms disappeared after ZNS was switched to other antiepileptic drugs and anti-psychotic agents (2-5 mg/day of haloperidol or 10 mg/day of thioridazine) were added. In these cases, we serially measured plasma HVA and MHPG concentrations. Results: Case 1 was a 28-year-old male. Delusions of persecution appeared 190 days after ZNS administration was started. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 12.7 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.4 ng/ml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 14.5 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 6. I ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, whereas the MHPG level was slightly increased. Case 2 was an 18-year-old female. Auditory hallucinations appeared 320 days after ZNS first was administered. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 9.6- 10.0 nghl and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.3,6.1 ng/ml. MHPG levcls at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 4.14.2 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 3.1 ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, but there was no increase in MHPG. Case 3 was an 18-year-old male. Delusion of persecution appeared 707 days after ZNS administration was started. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 10.6 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.2 ngiml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.3 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 3.9 ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, plasma HVA level was increased, while the MHPG level was slightly increased. Case 4 was a 20-year-old male. Auditory hallucination appeared 36 days after ZNS was administered. HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 13.6 ng/ml and HVA levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 7.2 ng/ml. MHPG levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms were 5.4 ng/ml and MHPG levels at the disappearance of psychiatric symptoms were 6. I ng/ml. When psychiatric symptoms appeared, the plasma HVA level was increased, but there was no increase in MHPG. Conclusions: In all patients, the plasma HVA levels at the appearance of psychiatric symptoms was higher than the corresponding level at time of disappearance of psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms may have been associated with activation of dopaniine by ZNS. MHPG levels were slightly increased in 2 cases. However, in thc other 2 cases, there were no changes in MHPG. The influence of ZNS on neurotransmitter metabolites should be further investigated in a larger nuniber of patients. [source]


    Mental illness, nativity, gender and labor supply

    HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2010
    Victoria D. Ojeda
    Abstract We analyzed the impacts of nativity and mental health (MH) on work by gender for non-elderly adults using the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. We employed two indicators of MH , the K6 scale of Mental Illness (MI) and an indicator for symptoms of Mania or Delusions (M/D). Instrumental variable (IV) models used measures of social support as instruments for MI. Unadjusted work rates were higher for immigrants (vs US-born adults). Regressions show that MI is associated with lower rates of work among US-born males but not immigrant males and females; M/D is associated lower rates of work among US-born males and females, and among immigrant males. Results did not change using IV models for MI. Most persons with MI work, yet symptom severity reduces labor supply among natives especially. Immigrants' labor supply is less affected by MI. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Creativity: Delusions, Realities, Opportunities and Challenges

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009
    John Steers
    This article considers the background and provisions of the New Secondary Curriculum in England. Attention is drawn to the extent of the policy changes by comparing the ten-year old demands of the Swift & Steers ,Manifesto for art in schools' (1999) with the new legislation and guidance. In particular, while there is strong support for overdue recognition of the importance of creativity in the curriculum it is argued that its inclusion remains problematic because the ,risky thinking' involved will be difficult in the many schools that have become risk averse in the face of ever increasing accountability. Nevertheless, there are very significant opportunities for art and design provided a number of key challenges are faced and acted upon. [source]


    Olanzapine versus placebo in the treatment of psychosis with or without associated behavioral disturbances in patients with Alzheimer's disease

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2004
    Peter Paul De Deyn
    Abstract Objectives Psychotic symptoms and behavioral disturbances are a concern in the care of elderly patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of olanzapine versus placebo in patients with psychotic symptoms associated with AD in long-term or continuing-care settings. Methods Patients (n,=,652) with AD and delusions or hallucinations were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo or fixed-dose olanzapine (1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5,mg/day). Results Mean age was 76.6±10.4 years. Repeated-measures analysis showed significant improvement from baseline in NPI/NH Psychosis Total scores (sum of Delusions, Hallucinations items,primary efficacy measure) in all five treatment groups (p<0.001), but no pairwise treatment differences were seen at the 10-week endpoint. However, under LOCF analysis, improvement in the 7.5,mg olanzapine group (,6.2,±,4.9) was significantly greater than with placebo (,5.0,±,6.1, p,=,0.008), while endpoint CGI-C scores showed the greatest improvement in the Olz,2.5 olanzapine group (2.8,±,1.4, p,=,0.030) relative to placebo (3.2,±,1.4). There were significant overall treatment-group differences in increased weight, anorexia, and urinary incontinence, with olanzapine showing numerically higher incidences. However, neither the incidence of any other individual events, including extrapyramidal symptoms, nor of total adverse events occurred with significantly higher frequency in any olanzapine group relative to placebo. No clinically relevant significant changes were seen across groups in cognition or any other vital sign or laboratory measure, including glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol. Conclusions While 1.0,mg olanzapine did not show significant differences from placebo, the 2.5,mg dose was a reasonable starting dose. Olanzapine at 7.5,mg/day significantly decreased psychosis and overall behavioral disturbances (NPI/NH, BPRS) and was well tolerated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Reducing the burden of caring for Alzheimer's disease through the amelioration of ,delusions of theft' by drug therapy

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2002
    Kazue Shigenobu
    Abstract Background Delusions of theft (delusions involving the theft of possessions) are one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric manifestations of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objective The current study investigated the presence and extent of such delusions before and after drug treatment in a group of AD patients, and the consequent effects on the burden of care on caregivers. Method The study was an open-label cohort design. The delusions studied consisted only of those involving theft of possessions. Sixteen AD patients served as subjects in order to assess the efficacy of Risperidone administration, in the reduction or elimination of these delusions. The caregiver burden was evaluated using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) before the administration of Risperidone and 12 weeks after administration, for cases where delusions of theft were eliminated or reduced. Results The burden of care on caregivers was significantly reduced (p,<,0.001) through the elimination or reduction of delusions of theft. Conclusion Delusions of theft are considered to be a major factor in increasing the burden of care, and the treatment of these, through appropriate drug therapy, is therefore of great importance in the continuation of satisfactory care in the home. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Behavioral profile of Alzheimer's disease in Chinese elderly , a validation study of the Chinese version of the Alzheimer's disease behavioral pathology rating scale

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2001
    Linda C. W. Lam
    Abstract Objectives This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Alzheimer's disease behavioral pathology rating scale (CBehave-AD) and the behavioral profile of Chinese patients with AD. Methods Seventy-one subjects with NINCDS-ADRDA diagnosis of probable and possible AD were assessed for validation of the CBehave-AD. A behavioral symptom frequency checklist, the Chinese version of the Blessed Roth dementia scale (CDS) and the Cantonese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) were used for comparison. An extended sample of 120 AD patients was then evaluated with the CBehave-AD. Results High correlations between the CBehave-AD and checklist scores were found (paranoid and delusional ideation, hallucinations, activity disturbances, aggressiveness and diurnal rhythm disturbances). The scale also demonstrated satisfactory inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities. The mean (SD) CMMSE score of the 120 patients was 9.4 (7.1). Among them, 32% have delusions, 15% had hallucinations, 54% had activity disturbances, 61% had aggressive behavior, 44% had sleep disturbance, 24% had affective disturbances, 19% had anxiety and phobias. Delusional ideation was significantly associated with hallucinations, aggressiveness, and affective disturbances. Diurnal rhythm disturbances were associated with activity disturbances and aggressiveness. CBehave-AD total scores were not significantly correlated with severity of AD, but individual symptom categories showed different pattern of correlation. Delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and phobias were significantly correlated with dementia staging. Conclusion The findings suggest that the CBehave-AD is a valid assessment tool for behavioral disturbances in patients with AD. Variable associations between different symptom categories and dementia staging suggest a need for further exploration of the complex interactions between behavioral and cognitive disturbances in dementia. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Delusions of parasitosis: a fixed delusion

    JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 8 2008
    JS Reichenberg
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Finding Meaning in First Episode Psychosis: Experience, Agency, and the Cultural Repertoire

    MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2004
    JOHN AGGERGAARD LARSEN
    The article examines individuals' attempts to generate meaning following their experiences with psychosis. The inquiry is based on a person-centered ethnographic study of a Danish mental health community program for early intervention in schizophrenia and involves longitudinal interviews with 15 of its participants. The article takes an existential anthropological perspective emphasizing agency and cultural phenomenology to investigate how individuals draw on resources from the cultural repertoire to make sense of personally disturbing experiences during their psychosis. It is suggested that the concept of "system of explanation" has advantages over, for example, "illness narrative" and "explanatory model" when demonstrating how some individuals engage in the creative analytic and theory-building work of bricolage, selecting, adding, and combining various systems of explanation. Delusions are equally derived from the cultural repertoire but are constructed as dogmatic explanations that are idiosyncratic to the individual who holds them. [source]


    Delusions and the Background of Rationality

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 2 2005
    Lisa Bortolotti
    In particular I challenge the view that irrational beliefs can be ascribed only against a general background of rationality. Subjects affected by delusions seem to be genuine believers and their behaviour can be successfully explained in intentional terms, but they do not meet those criteria that according to Davidson (1985a) need to be met for the background of rationality to be in place. [source]


    Anosognosia and the Two-factor Theory of Delusions

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 2 2005
    Martin Davies
    Existing theories of anosognosia for hemiplegia appeal to impaired feedback from the paralysed side of the body and to cognitive impairments. We show how cases of anosognosia for hemiplegia can be brought within the scope of a generic two-factor theory about the aetiology of monothematic delusions of neuropsychological origin. [source]


    Towards an Understanding of Delusions of Misidentification: Four Case Studies

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 1 2000
    Nora Breen
    Four detailed cases of delusions of misidentification (DM) are presented: two cases of misidentification of the reflected self, one of reverse intermetamorphosis, and one of reduplicative paramnesia. The cases are discussed in the context of three levels of interpretation: neurological, cognitive and phenomenological. The findings are compared to previous work with DM patients, particularly the work of Ellis and Young (1990; Young, 1998) who found that loss of the normal affective response to familiar faces was a contributing factor in the Capgras delusion. The four cases presented suggest that this particular deficit is not a critical factor in the development of other forms of DM. [source]


    Arthur Farquhar on Economic Delusions: An Examination of the Case for Protection

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
    Article first published online: 24 JUN 2010, Thomas L. Martin
    Arthur Farquhar (1838,1929) was a successful manufacturer and exporter of mechanical steel farming implements who also took the time to participate in the day's free trade versus protectionism debate. His main contribution to the national tariff debate was the 1891 book Economic and Industrial Delusions: A Discussion of the Case for Protection. The book was written as a direct response to the McKinley Tariff of 1890 and is very much a polemic against the tariff by a disappointed former Republican. This article summarizes his economic analysis of the incidence of the tariff, the relationship between trade competitiveness and relative wages, and the tariff's effect on overall economic development. [source]


    Symptomatology of Late-onset Schizophrenia and Paranoid Disorders

    PSYCHOGERIATRICS, Issue 1 2002
    Hidemichi Hamada
    Abstract: There is controversy concerning the classification of late-onset paranoid disorders, but many interpret it as schizophrenia that is first manifested in old age. As a result of the revival of the concept of late-onset catatonia in recent years, the classification of late schizophrenia has been reorganized. Late-onset paranoid disorders have two characteristics in terms of their symptomatology: a transition from the boundaries of the self to material boundaries, and delusions of injury. In late-onset paranoid disorders there is adherence of the boundaries of the self to physical boundaries in an external form that can be seen with the eyes. Delusions of injury, in which living space within physical boundaries is infringed, become manifestations, such as delusions of robbery, jealousy, and delusions of infestation. [source]


    The mother in the text: Metapsychology and phantasy in the work of interpretation,

    THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 3 2008
    Fausto Petrella
    In this paper the author discusses some characteristics of a psychoanalytic text on the basis of two pages of Freud's essay, Delusions and dreams in Jensen's ,Gradiva' (Freud, 1906), on the concept of the return of the repressed. Analysis of the text shows that the four references (Horace, Rops, Rousseau, and a clinical vignette) occurring in it present unexpected connections both with each other and with the phenomenon they illustrate. There thus emerges a hidden scenario that reveals a concealed level of the text, relating to the maternal imago. Particular attention is devoted to the importance of the figurative apparatus and images (examples in the form of narrations and visual images, metaphors, and similes) that accompany the metapsychological and conceptual construction of Freud's text. Representation in visual form is necessary for the description and construction of the psyche and for conferring life on its conceptual formulations. However, metapsychological definition also reveals a phantasy dimension underlying the text. In addition, the author shows how certain textual constraints limit the intrinsic intuitive and arbitrary nature of interpretation. Finally, the complexity of the psychoanalytic text (with its various planes and levels) is emphasized, as well as the network of possible connections fundamental to the work of interpretation. A diagram illustrates the spatio-temporal aspects of the interpretive process, as defined by the interaction between conceptual factors and specific flights of the imagination which also have to do with unconscious affects, whether in the text, the author, or the reader. [source]


    In Government We Trust: Market Failure and the Delusions of Privatisation by Warwick Funnell, Robert Jupe and Jane Andrew

    AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2009
    Richard Eccleston
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Modeling Complex Systems: Gaining Valid Insights and Avoiding Mathematical Delusions

    ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2007
    Roger J. Lewis MD
    First page of article [source]


    A young woman with visual hallucinations, delusions of persecution and a history of performing arson with possible three-generation Fahr disease

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2010
    M. Shirahama
    Objective:, Fahr disease (FD) is a rare neurological and psychiatric disorder. The disease is classified by intracranial calcification of the basal ganglia with the globus pallidus region being particularly affected. We examined a young woman with visual hallucinations, delusions of persecution and a history of performing arson with possible third-generation FD. Method:, Case report of third-generation FD. Results:, A 23-year-old woman was arrested for two arsons: i) The patient exhibited progressive psychotic symptoms, including visual hallucinations, delusion of injury, irritability, lability of mood, mental retardation and visual disorders and ii) Computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated bilateral calcifications of the basal ganglia (globus pallidus) in the patient, her mother and her grandmother. Conclusion:, We found a family with a three-generation history of FD who exhibited calcification in the brain and mental retardation. Compared to her mother, the patient described here displayed anticipation of disease onset. [source]


    Lycanthropy alive in Babylon: the existence of archetype

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2009
    A. A. Younis
    Objective:, Lycanthropy is the belief in the capacity of human metamorphosis into animal form. It has been recorded in many cultures. Apart from historic description of lycanthropy, there has been several case reports described in the medical literature over the past 30 years. Method:, We identified eight cases of lycanthropy in 20 years, mainly in the area of Babylon, Iraq. Results:, The most commonly reported diagnosis was severe depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms. The type of animal that the patients changed into were mainly dogs (seven cases) and only one case changed into a cow for the first time to report. Conclusion:, Lycanthropy delusion is a rare delusion but appears to have survived into modern times with possible archetypal existence. [source]


    Belief in transforming another person into a wolf: could it be a variant of lycanthropy?

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2007
    A. G. Nejad
    Objective:, Lycanthropy is a rare psychiatric condition in which the patient believes in being transformed into an animal. Belief in the transformation of another person into an animal has not been reported, so far. Here, a patient with an impression of bipolar mood disorder (mixed type) and such delusion is reported. Method:, A single case is reported. Results:, A young male patient in his first psychiatric episode, developed delusional conviction of his mother's transformation into a wolf. He did not have any delusions regarding the transformation of himself into an animal, although he reported drooling for months before developing a delusional belief regarding his mother. Conclusion:, Belief in the transformation of another person into an animal may have similar roots as lycanthropy and could be considered as a variant of this syndrome. [source]


    An explanation of the forward premium ,puzzle'

    EUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2000
    Richard Roll
    Existing literature reports a puzzle about the forward rate premium over the spot foreign exchange rate. The premium is often negatively correlated with subsequent changes in the spot rate. This defies economic intuition and possibly violates market efficiency. Rational explanations include non-stationary risk premia and econometric mis-specifications, but some embrace the puzzle as a guide to profitable trading. We suggest there is really no puzzle. A simple model fits the data: forward exchange rates are unbiased predictors of subsequent spot rates. The puzzle arises because the forward rate, the spot rate, and the forward premium follow nearly non-stationary time series processes. We document these properties with an extended sample and show why they give the delusion of a puzzle. [source]


    5-HT2A T102C receptor polymorphism and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 6 2004
    Linda Chiu Wa Lam
    Abstract Objective To investigate the association between 5-HT2A receptor polymorphism and neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms in Chinese elderly with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods This case-control study evaluated Chinese subjects with AD first presented to an university affiliated psychogeriatric clinic. Eighty-seven subjects with NINCDS-ADRDA diagnosis for probable and possible AD were recruited consecutively from the psychogeriatric clinics of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong. 5-HT2A receptor polymorphisms were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis. NP symptoms were assessed by the Chinese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Results The genotype frequencies were significantly different in subjects with regards to the presentation of delusions, aggression, aberrant motor behavior and apathy (Pearson Chi Squares, p,<,0.05). If only homozygote states were included, there were significantly fewer subjects of CC genotype with delusion (Pearson chi square, p,<,0.05). Conclusions Specific NP symptoms in AD were significantly associated with 5-HT2A receptor polymorphisms. Possible ethnic differences in the behavioral expression of 5-HT2A receptor polymorphisms are worthy of further exploration. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Delusions of parasitosis: a fixed delusion

    JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 8 2008
    JS Reichenberg
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Towards an Understanding of Delusions of Misidentification: Four Case Studies

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 1 2000
    Nora Breen
    Four detailed cases of delusions of misidentification (DM) are presented: two cases of misidentification of the reflected self, one of reverse intermetamorphosis, and one of reduplicative paramnesia. The cases are discussed in the context of three levels of interpretation: neurological, cognitive and phenomenological. The findings are compared to previous work with DM patients, particularly the work of Ellis and Young (1990; Young, 1998) who found that loss of the normal affective response to familiar faces was a contributing factor in the Capgras delusion. The four cases presented suggest that this particular deficit is not a critical factor in the development of other forms of DM. [source]


    Refining the Explanation of Cotard's Delusion

    MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 1 2000
    Philip Gerrans
    Recent work in cognitive neuropsychiatry explains the Capgras and Cotard delusions as alternative explanations of unusual qualitative states caused by dam-age to an affective component of the face recognition system. The difference between the delusions results from differences in attributional style. Cotard patients typically exhibit a style of internal attribution associated with depression, while Capgras patients exhibit the external attribution style more typical of paranoia. Thus the Cotard patient attributes her condition to drastic changes in herself and the Capgras patient attributes the same changes to alterations in the environment. I suggest three modifications to this explanation. Firstly, the nature of the affective deficit in Cotard cases may be more global than in Capgras cases, resulting from the diffuse effects of the neurochemical substrate of depression. Secondly, this explanation gives us additional insight into the content of the delusion. It is unsurprising that persons whose global affective responses were suppressed would explain their lack of response by saying that they had no bodily existence. Finally I suggest that in Cotard cases the delusion is produced by a reasoning deficit, rather than attributional style. [source]


    Delusional disorder: Study from North India

    PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2007
    SANDEEP GROVER md
    Abstract, The aim of the present study was to study sociodemographic profile, clinical parameters including comorbidity, usefulness of antipsychotics especially atypicals, family history, and follow-up rates for delusional disorder. The records of all subjects who were seen in the Department of Psychiatry during a period of 10 years (i.e. 1994,2003) were reviewed. Eighty-eight subjects fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled. The sample consisted predominantly of female subjects (55.7%), most of the total subjects were married and had favorable social functioning. The most common delusion was persecutory (54.5%), followed by delusion of reference (46.6%). The majority of the subjects had a comorbid psychiatric disorder. Education was negatively correlated with age at onset and positively correlated with the number of delusions. Age at onset was negatively correlated with total number of delusions. The sociodemographic profile of delusional disorder is consistent across various cultures, has high comorbidity and, when treated appropriately, responds to various antipsychotic agents. [source]