Delusional disorder: Study from North India

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to study sociodemographic profile, clinical parameters including comorbidity, usefulness of antipsychotics especially atypicals, family history, and follow-up rates for delusional disorder. The records of all subjects who were seen in the Department of Psychiatry during a period of 10 years (i.e. 1994-2003) were reviewed. Eighty-eight subjects fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled. The sample consisted predominantly of female subjects (55.7%), most of the total subjects were married and had favorable social functioning. The most common delusion was persecutory (54.5%), followed by delusion of reference (46.6%). The majority of the subjects had a comorbid psychiatric disorder. Education was negatively correlated with age at onset and positively correlated with the number of delusions. Age at onset was negatively correlated with total number of delusions. The sociodemographic profile of delusional disorder is consistent across various cultures, has high comorbidity and, when treated appropriately, responds to various antipsychotic agents.