Causes of Delusional disorder
Delusional disorder Causes: Book Excerpts
Related information on causes of Delusional disorder:
As with all medical conditions,
there may be many causal factors.
Further relevant information on causes of Delusional disorder may be found in:
Causes of Delusional disorder: Online Medical Books
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for more information about the causes of Delusional disorder.
Hallucinations:
Differential Diagnosis
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)
- Delirium
–Develops over hours to days
–Fluctuates throughout the day
–Causes include dehydration, drug-induced, electrolyte imbalance, UTI, URI, hypoglycemia, and alcohol or drug withdrawal
–Occurs in 10–30% of hospital patients
–Drug-induced delirium (e.g., cocaine, β-blockers, alcohol, corticosteroids, pseudoephedrine, dopaminergic drugs)
- Alcohol withdrawal (delirium tremens)
–Often presents in hospitalized patients about 3 days after admission
–Commonly presents with tactile hallucinations (e.g., formication—the sense of insects crawling over body)
–May be accompanied by seizure activity
- Hallucinogenic syndromes (e.g., LSD, marijuana, mescaline, phencyclidine, mushrooms, amphetamines)
- Schizophrenia
–Auditory hallucinations are most frequent; visual hallucinations occur in about 50% of patients, tactile in 20%, olfactory in 6%
–Progresses to positive psychotic symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder) and/or negative symptoms (e.g., anhedonia, poor concentration, flattened affect, poor social/personal function)
–1% incidence in the general population, males >females
-
Schizophreniform disorder
-
Schizoaffective disorder
-
Post-traumatic stress disorder
-
Dementia
-
Systemic lupus erythematosus
–Auditory hallucinations caused by corticosteroids; visual and tactile by lupus psychosis
-
Bipolar disorder
-
Psychotic depression
-
Postpartum major depression
-
Mass lesions
-
CNS infections/encephalitis
-
Seizures
-
Occipital lobe injury
-
Heavy metal ingestion
-
Lewy body dementia
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In a Page: Signs and Symptoms, 2004
Hallucinations:
Differential Diagnosis
(In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)
-
Hallucinogenic drugs
–LSD, “mushrooms,” mescaline, and PCP are primarily hallucinogens
–Amphetamines, cocaine, inhalants, and marijuana may also produce hallucinations
-
CNS acute events
–Trauma
–CNS infection
–Hypoxic events
- Psychosis
–Defined as a mental state with significant impairment in cognition, interpersonal relations, and reality testing
–Hallucinations may be a major or minor component
–Psychosis may be psychiatric or organic (secondary to CNS insult)
- Schizophrenia
–A disorder of impaired perception, cognition, interpersonal relations, and behavior with illogical and disordered thought content
–Hallucinations (most often auditory) and
delusions are common findings
–Onset is frequently in adolescence
–Frequently a positive family history
-
Seizure disorders
–Prominent auras may manifest as perceptual disturbances; visual and olfactory are the most common; tactile may also occur
-
Narcolepsy
–Hypnagogic hallucinations are hallucinations that occur while falling asleep; they may be visual or auditory
-
Medications
–Antipsychotics, anticholinergics, and
corticosteroids can rarely cause
hallucinations
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms, 2007
Psychotic behavior:
Medical causes
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
Organic disorders
Various organic disorders, such as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, cocaine or amphetamine intoxication, cerebral hypoxia, and nutritional disorders, can produce psychotic behavior. Endocrine disorders, such as adrenal dysfunction, and severe infections, such as encephalitis, can also cause psychotic behavior. Neurologic causes include Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Psychiatric disorders
Psychotic behavior usually occurs with bipolar disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, and some pervasive developmental disorders.
Other causes
Drugs
Certain drugs can cause psychotic behavior. (See Psychotic behavior: An adverse drug effect.) However, almost any drug can provoke psychotic behavior as a rare, severe adverse or idiosyncratic reaction.
Surgery
Postoperative delirium and depression may produce psychotic behavior.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition), 2006
Delusional disorders:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Delusional disorders of later life strongly suggest a hereditary predisposition. At least one study has linked the development of delusional disorders to inferiority feelings in the family. Some researchers suggest that delusional disorders are the product of specific early childhood experiences with an authoritarian family structure. Others hold that anyone with a sensitive personality is particularly vulnerable to developing a delusional disorder.
Certain medical conditions — head injury, chronic alcoholism, and deafness — and aging are known to increase the risks of delusional disorders. Predisposing factors linked to aging include isolation, lack of stimulating interpersonal relationships, physical illness, and impaired hearing and vision. In addition, severe stress (such as a move to a foreign country) may precipitate a delusional disorder.
Delusional disorders commonly begin in middle or late adulthood, usually between ages 40 and 55, but they can occur at a younger age. These uncommon illnesses affect less than 1% of the population; the incidence is about equal in men and women.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Psychotic behavior:
Medical causes
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Organic disorders
Various disorders, such as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, cocaine or amphetamine intoxication, cerebral hypoxia, and nutritional disorders, can produce psychotic behavior. Endocrine disorders, such as adrenal dysfunction, and severe infections, such as encephalitis, can also cause psychotic behavior. Neurologic causes include Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Psychiatric disorders
Psychotic behavior usually occurs with bipolar disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, and some pervasive developmental disorders.
Other causes
Drugs
Certain drugs can cause psychotic behavior. (See Psychotic behavior: An adverse drug effect.) However, almost any drug can provoke psychotic behavior as a rare, severe adverse or idiosyncratic reaction.
Surgery
Postoperative delirium and depression may produce psychotic behavior.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Delirium/Hallucinations:
Differential Overview
(Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis)
Systemic
❑ Drugs/toxins
❑ Sepsis
❑ Hypoglycemia
❑ Hypercalcemia
❑ Hyponatremia
❑ Shock
❑ Delirium tremens
❑ Vitamin B12 deficiency
❑ Hypoxia
❑ Hypercapnia
❑ Thyrotoxicosis
❑ Uremia
❑ Hepatic encephalopathy
❑ Thiamine deficiency
❑ Heat stroke
❑ Hypothermia
❑ Lead intoxication
❑ Carbon monoxide poisoning
Neurologic
❑ Concussion
❑ Hypertensive encephalopathy
❑ Subdural hematoma
❑ Postictal
❑ Transient global amnesia
❑ Meningitis
❑ Right parietal stroke
❑ Encephalitis
❑ Vasculitis
❑ Carcinomatous meningitis
Hallucinations
❑ Drugs
❑ Schizophrenia
❑ Temporal lobe epilepsy
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis, 2007
Delusional disorders:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Delusional disorders of later life strongly suggest a hereditary predisposition. At least one study has linked the development of delusional disorders to inferiority feelings in the family.
Some researchers suggest that delusional disorders are the product of specific early childhood experiences with an authoritarian family structure. Others hold that anyone with a sensitive personality is particularly vulnerable to developing a delusional disorder.
Certain medical conditions — head injury, chronic alcoholism, and deafness — and aging are known to increase the risk for delusional disorders. Predisposing factors linked to aging include isolation, lack of stimulating interpersonal relationships, physical illness, and impaired hearing and vision.
Severe stress (such as a move to a foreign country) may also precipitate a delusional disorder.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Psychotic behavior:
Medical causes
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Organic disorders
Various disorders, such as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, cocaine or amphetamine intoxication, cerebral hypoxia, and nutritional disorders, can produce psychotic behavior. Endocrine disorders, such as adrenal dysfunction, and severe infections, such as encephalitis, can also cause psychotic behavior. Neurologic causes include Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Psychiatric disorders
Psychotic behavior usually occurs with bipolar disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, and some pervasive developmental disorders.
Other causes
Drugs
Certain drugs can cause psychotic behavior. (See Psychotic behavior: An adverse drug effect, page 526.) However, almost any drug can provoke psychotic behavior as a rare, severe adverse or idiosyncratic reaction.
Surgery
Postoperative delirium and depression may produce psychotic behavior.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Psychotic behavior:
Medical causes
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
Organic disorders.Various organic disorders, such as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, cocaine or amphetamine intoxication, cerebral hypoxia, and nutritional disorders, can produce psychotic behavior. Endocrine disorders, such as adrenal dysfunction, and severe infections, such as encephalitis, can also cause psychotic behavior. Neurologic causes include Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Psychiatric disorders.Psychotic behavior usually occurs with bipolar disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, and some pervasive developmental disorders.
Other causes
Drugs.Certain drugs can cause psychotic behavior. (See Psychotic behavior: An adverse drug effect, pages 492 and 493.)However, almost any drug can provoke psychotic behavior as a rare, severe adverse or idiosyncratic reaction.
Surgery.Postoperative delirium and depression may produce psychotic behavior.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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