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Acting on Delusions. II: The Phenomenological Correlates of Acting on Delusions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Alec Buchanan ,
Alison Reed ,
Simon Wessely ,
Philippa Garety ,
Pamela Taylor ,
Don Grubin  and
Graham Dunn
Alec Buchanan
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry
Alison Reed
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry
Simon Wessely*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS
Philippa Garety
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry
Pamela Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Don Grubin
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry
Graham Dunn
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Institute of Psychiatry
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the phenomenological characteristics of those delusions which are associated with action. The sample consisted of 79 patients admitted to a general psychiatric ward, each of whom described at least one delusional belief. The variables studied included the phenomenology of the delusions, and behaviour. Two behavioural ratings were used, one derived from the subjects' own description of their behaviour and the other from information provided by informants. There was no association between delusional phenomenology and acting on a delusion when the subjects' behaviour was described by informants. When action was described by the subjects themselves, acting was associated with: being aware of evidence which supported the belief and with having actively sought out such evidence; a tendency to reduce the conviction with which a belief was held when that belief was challenged; and with feeling sad, frightened or anxious as a consequence of the delusion.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 163 , Issue 1 , July 1993 , pp. 77 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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