Clinical and Demographical Profiles of the Patients with Delusional Disorder: a Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate demographic, environmental, psychosocial and clinical characteristics in a group of patients with delusional disorder (DD).Method: In a retrospective descriptive study design, cases with DD registered at Psychiatry Clinic of Xxxxxxx XxxxxxxResearch Hospital was conducted. We obtained a sample of 320 DD patients who met the inclusion criteria according to DSM-IV. Socio-demographic and general data, risk factors, clinical picture and diagnosis were collected.Results: Proportion of males versus females was of 1.12. Only 31.25% of patients were illiterate. Of the patients, 56.56% were married and about half of them shared home. About 16,9% of patients had a past history of alcohol consumption, and 2,3% consumed other drugs. The most frequent subtype with the persecutory with 158 cases (49.38%). Ideas of reference and of persecution were found in 83.75% and 81.88% respectively.Conclusions: We found a male preponderance and persecutory subtype with the mean age at onset in the fourth decade in our DD sample. Education level was moderate and low in most of the patients. Reference and persecutory ideation and auditive hallucinations were the most prevalent delusional symptomatology in patients groups.