To the Editor: In August 2013, a 22-year-old female was referred to a psychiatric hospital with 6 months history of insomnia, suicidal thought, social withdrawal, irritability and
persecutory delusion.
In the chapter on Der Sandmann he examines clues confirming the existence of the Sandman and concludes firstly that, although 'in the material world' we would consider Nathanael mad because of his inability to distinguish between imagination and reality, in Hoffmann's fictional world Nathanael's imagination is capable of producing real monsters and so he is the author of his own fate; secondly, that, due to the conflicting but equally valid interpretations, our activity as readers corroborates Nathanael's
persecutory delusion.
The contents of the questionnaire were as follows: characteristics of depressive symptoms, classified into five categories: somatic symptoms, depressive mood, anxiety-aggression,
persecutory delusion and suicidal tendency.
Or, a false claim could stem from a
persecutory delusion in which a person feels conspired against, harassed or abused.
Schreber, there is discussion of what Freud considers a "striking similarity" between Schreber's
persecutory delusion and Freud's own theory.
The aim of the study was to assess cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia and
persecutory delusion reported to the healthy group.
8) A man who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 20 presented with thought blocking, incoherence,
persecutory delusions, and uncontrolled self-damaging behavior.
The patient's sleep and agitation improved initially and the
persecutory delusions started resolving.
He also experienced bizarre and
persecutory delusions.
Dr Brenda Wright said he had
persecutory delusions and heard voices in his head.
The DSM-V (2013) defines
persecutory delusions as 'fixed beliefs' (p 87), construed as propositional attitudes or distorted perceptions bound by, and to be analysed under the constraints of falsity, rationality, plausibility and conviction in determining difference from other over-valued ideas.
However, her
persecutory delusions and behavioral disturbances persisted, so she was referred to our psychiatrist.
