Case Examples
A 25 year old man has reported that he believes he is the 15th reincarnation of Dalai Lama. He has consistently made this claim for 5 weeks but exhibits no other impaired or bizarre behavior. Which disorder does this suggest?
What is delusional disorder?
This subtype of delusional disorder applies when the central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual
What is erotomanic type?
This is symptom is characterized by no psychomotor activity; not actively relating to environment
What is stupor?
A 30 year old woman reports that for one week she has been seeing ghosts. She claims to have seen ghosts in her house and following her in the streets. After this one week, the woman has reported no more ghost sightings and her functioning is otherwise normal. What disorder does this suggest?
What is brief psychotic disorder?
This subtype of delusional disorder applies when the central theme of the delusion is the conviction of having some great (but unrecognized) talent or insight or having made some important discovery
What is grandiose type?
This is symptom is characterized by passive induction of a posture held against gravity
What is catalepsy?
A 42 year old man reports that the fillings in his teeth are picking up radio signals that are transmitting secret messages to him. In session, his speech is incoherent with frequent irrelevant digressions. The man reports that this phenomena began 2 months ago. What disorder does this suggest?
What is schizophreniform disorder?
This subtype of delusional disorder applies when the central theme of the delusion is that his or her spouse or lover is unfaithful
What is jealous type?
This is symptom is characterized by slight, even resistance to positioning by the examiner
What is waxy flexibility?
A 50 year old man reports that the CIA has been replacing his internal organs. He claims that the replacement organs are functioning improperly as indicated by the sensation of his heart and/or lungs ceasing to work for periods of time. He reports that he cannot leave his house or go to work because of his inhibited bodily functions. He claims that his internal organs were replaced by the CIA over a year ago. What disorder does this suggest?
What is schizophrenia?
This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves the individual's belief that she or she is being conspired against, cheated, spied on, followed, poisoned, or drugged, maliciously maligned, harassed or obstructed in the pursuit of long-term goals
What is persecutory type?
This is symptom is characterized by opposition or no response to instructions or external stimuli
What is negativism?
A 32 year old woman reports that her apartment became infested with ants. In order to rid her apartment of the ant infestation, the woman bought five thousand dollars worth of pesticides and other pest treatment tools and stayed awake for seven days ensuring every inch of her apartment was free of ants and properly cleaned. Having rid her apartment of ants, the woman believed she had developed the most effective pest treatment protocol to have ever been utilized. She reported that she believed she could exterminate ants completely to the extent that they would become extinct as a species. Over the next 2 weeks, she bought several thousand dollars more of pesticides and began to offer her services to people on the street, referring to herself as the Queen of the Ants. What disorder does this suggest?
What is schizoaffective disorder?
This subtype applies when the central theme of the delusion involves bodily functions or sensations
What is somatic type?
This is symptom is characterized by repetitive, abnormally frequent, non-goal directed movements
What is stereotypy?