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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 8/2014

Open Access 01-08-2014 | Invited Reviews

Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review

Authors: Daniel Freeman, Philippa Garety

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 8/2014

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Abstract

Purpose

Persecutory delusions are a central psychotic experience, at the severe end of a paranoia spectrum in the general population. The aim of the review is to provide an introduction to the understanding of persecutory delusions, highlight key putative causal factors that have the potential to be translated into efficacious treatment, and indicate future research directions.

Methods

A narrative literature review was undertaken to highlight the main recent areas of empirical study concerning non-clinical and clinical paranoia.

Results

Six main proximal causal factors are identified: a worry thinking style, negative beliefs about the self, interpersonal sensitivity, sleep disturbance, anomalous internal experience, and reasoning biases. Each has plausible mechanistic links to the occurrence of paranoia. These causal factors may be influenced by a number of social circumstances, including adverse events, illicit drug use, and urban environments.

Conclusions

There have been numerous replicated empirical findings leading to a significant advance in the understanding of persecutory delusions, now beginning to be translated into cognitive treatments. The first trials specifically focussed on patients who have persecutory delusions in the context of psychotic diagnoses are occurring. Initial evidence of efficacy is very promising.
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Metadata
Title
Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review
Authors
Daniel Freeman
Philippa Garety
Publication date
01-08-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 8/2014
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0928-7

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