What are common types of delusions? | Reference, Grandeur, Persecutory, Jealous, Paranoid

In this video, I talk about some of the more common types of delusions that individuals experience. Here are timestamps so you can jump to specific types:
00:25 - Delusions of reference
03:13 - Delusions of grandeur
06:54 - Persecutory delusion
08:10 - Erotomanic delusion
10:45 - Jealous delusion
13:46 - Paranoid delusion
How to talk to a delusional person: • How to Talk to a Delus...
Important Note:
I'm not a licensed mental health professional and I only speak from experience working with patients in a psychiatric hospital. I encourage everyone to seek the assistance of a mental health professional if they believe they or someone close to them is experiencing a mental illness of any kind.
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Video Notes
There are many kinds of delusions that individuals can experience. Some of the more common ones are delusions of reference, delusions of grandeur, persecutory delusions, erotomanic delusions, jealous delusions, and paranoid delusions.
A delusion of reference is when someone believes that mundane events have significant importance for them.
A delusion of grandeur is when someone believes they are extremely famous or beloved.
A persecutory delusion is when someone believes that a person or group is trying to keep them down (suppress them).
An erotomanic delusion is when someone believes that another person (usually a celebrity or person in a position of authority) is in love with them.
A jealous delusion is when someone believes that their partner is cheating on them.
A paranoid delusion is when someone believes that others are out to get them (in other words, people want to harm them in some way).

[@gofirst501]

Anyone who uploads to KZbin suffers from Delusions of Grandeur. You can’t tell me no-one has thought about getting a Million Views from a single upload

[@ZachGood]

And what about people who make comments on KZbin videos

[@jaimevarelaredmormon]

KZbin started out as a platform to "Broadcast Yourself"...

[@888_vav]

Project much my friend ?!. Sheesh

[@Gayle1962.]

16:56 Thank you for sharing all of your insight. Hearing you describe these different scenarios is very helpful to me as a parent of someone who expresses almost every one of your examples. It is frightening to all of us in the family, as we don’t know how to react. She does not accept the possibility she is suffering from paranoia and/or delusions. She thinks we’re all lying to her and keeping a big secret from her. She does not trust anyone, especially doctors. She has been taken to the emergency psychiatric department a couple of times and is determined never to go back. She is convinced they abused her, tried to starve her and tried to kill her 😢 also, she is 30yrs old and lives with us (Mom & Dad). We can’t help her. It is a nightmare 😳

[@justinthomas7333]

How would I rate this video? It deserves a standing ovation in my opinion. Let's just say I have had schizophrenia since 2015, and I have experienced all of these delusions before. The meds I take help. But lately delusions of reference seem to be my thing. I was one of those people who was listening to your explanation of delusions of reference and thinking " Is this real, or a delusion." I will spare everyone the time of my story. But I will end on a piece of advice. What I have been doing is writing things down. and if I start to think someone on the TV or computer is trying to talk to me ( which I do and often) I write everything down. And I look at what I wrote and ask myself, does this sound like a delusion. and if it does than it more than likely is. that is a coping mechanism that has helped me big time. Sometimes I have so many different delusions at the same time it is hard to think.

[@zertiboy]

Clearcut straight to the point in language society speaks... thank you sir!!

[@clarkharney8805]

I worked on a couple of different units at a psychiatric hospital for a year & I definitely can somewhat understand (or at least relate to) what you’ve experienced as well. God bless!

[@flashcat2702]

Hi Sir what's the difference between dellusions and dreams, hopes, wishes when awake and consious? Can they lead to same or similar effects because the last ones cause a kind of depression as they won't be true? And how to stop them? Thanx

[@meanhe8702]

I have someone in my family who thinks men are constantly in love with her. Yet she hasn’t been in a real relationship in 20 or more years. She is middle aged and not what you would call attractive, yet she’s a sweetheart. It’s always been so annoying and I never understood it up until recently. I don’t know what to do or say to her about her delusions, I try to get her to see the reality of the situations. But sometimes it’s hard.

[@ZachGood]

Yeah, I've met people like that - both males and females. It's just...annoying. Even if everyone does like them (and they don't), who cares? Why do they always have to verbalize it? They add no value to anyone's life by telling people that someone likes them.

[@888_vav]

Can i pick your mind friend ? What if I believe your wearing that shirt because Im in harmony with the universe/ higher self etc. And it was manifest to get my attention and watch this video because it holds something to learn for me I need. I say this because I have it tattooed on both my wrists. 😂 I actually have many many questions and topics of discourse from my subjective experiences lately and seek someone that wants to open pandoras box with me.

[@remmirath42]

What is the difference between delusions of grandeur (e.g. your example of "I'm writing a paper about ...") and the Dunning-Kruger effect?

[@ZachGood]

Can't believe I missed this good question. I think the difference between a psychiatric delusion of grandeur and someone experiencing the Dunning-Kruger Effect is found in the severity, impact, and outcome. Let's imagine a scenario wherein someone believes they're way more knowledgable about science than they truly are. Someone experiencing the Dunning-Kruger Effect might confidently post comments on online science message boards and make erroneous scientific claims while hanging out with friends. Their inaccurate estimate of their scientific knowledge probably won't compel them to do much more than that, and here's the crucial part: Once they come across and actual expert, the expert will make them look really foolish. After the person's lack of knowledge gets exposed, they'll likely feel embarrassed and recalibrate their estimate of their own knowledge. Someone who's clinically delusional about their scientific knowledge will 1) do way more than just post comments online and blab to friends, 2) be completely consumed in the topic to the point that their false beliefs significantly impair their quality of life, and 3) they'll never recalibrate their self-awareness no matter how much they get embarrassed by legitimate experts; in fact, they'll double down on their judgment and claim that everything is a big conspiracy. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is like whiffle ball, and a delusion of grandeur is like the Major Leagues.

[@WDBsirLocksight]

@@ZachGood Interesting. The question is: do you believe a sub-specialist or a specialist...? Most of psychiatrists are "general practitioners" of mental health. How could I believe them when it comes to developmental issues yet most providers think they can diagnosis ASD. Ive had a psych say he wasn't expert and I respect that. Or say emerging categories as schizoid, schizotypal, prodromal, some individuals never convert to psychosis. Same as transitional in ASD: autistic catatonia and multiple complex developmental disorder. Schizotypal is only considered on the schizophrenia spectrum in UK. "Acute and Transient Psychosis" only exist in the ICD; in NA becomes brief reactive psychosis or psychosis-nos. I went to a prez by Dr John Francis DSM-IV lead and his commentary on DSM-V is interesting but still contains black boxes on ADHD and ASD. And odd vs personality vs hitting head vs autism is not that clear cut, unless you use brain imaging. Most wards can't deal with this stuff.

[@jaimevarelaredmormon]

Persecutory delusion is rampant among people involved with political or religious cults.

[@ZachGood]

Politics and religion are breeding grounds for delusions, and I think they have a push/pull effect: Politics/religions can instill delusional views, and people with delusional views can be easily pulled into politics/religions. The more extreme (i.e. impractical, uncommon) the political/religious group, the more likely delusions are involved. It makes sense - people who harbor extreme psychological distortions are going to be more likely to think people are out to get them simply because very few people believe what they do and follow their guiding principles. All of these things are reasons why I advocate for people to avoid joining political/religious groups to the extent that their identities become wrapped up in them. You can support gun rights without being a member of the NRA or Republican Party, and you can support police reform without being a member of Antifa or the Democratic Party. People tend to believe that it takes courage to join a group; I say it takes courage to stand behind a viewpoint without the backing of others. The moment we make a political/religious group a part of our identity, we sacrifice some amount of freedom of mind and become more likely to follow along with things we otherwise would not.

[@donaldescobar11]

How often do you have patients who recover from this disorder?

[@nikkistahr7105]

I am trying to get down to the bottom of a friend...she literally thinks there is a connection to any and everything..everything is a sign!! Someone can like something on social media and she will say ohh you see that its a sign that he like me, or she knows my last post is about that xyz... She thinks shes clairvoyant.. Someone she lured into her Web (a suitor) mentioned the word beach and she ran to call me saying that she was just saying to God that her soul mate would want to walk on the beach with her (then she becomes obsessed with this person..because of the signs..never stopping to realize that this man lives with his girlfriend)..yes thats happened several times!! She says i am going to be a millionaire, people will know my name etc..very big lofty goals..(but she lives at her moms, no job, no nothing at 35).. She thinks everyone owes her She tries to sneak one over on everyone, rules don't apply for her since she thinks she is the exception. When we were closer friends she had a huge issue with me hanging with other people especially without her..very controlling ( she only cut it out once i cut her off for 3 years) She always has something going on, always from healthcare to finances to familial issues etc.. There is always drama going on and always bad news..constantly. Several car accidents, several public incidents.. She has been locked up for dui and something else (i forget). She is med seeking (anything that gives her a high, pain pills, etc and mixes with alcohol) overdosed 3 times.. Has been on the mental health pavilion 3 times now.. So, she denies half of this history and says she has no mental illness..and is only fessing up to her narcotic dependency.. I am a straight laced young woman, this woman was my middle & high school friend...she is not a close friend now and hasnt been for many years but her family keep asking me to help her...i will always have love for her but this is bigger than me...i feel guilty because i care about what happens to her but honestly dont know where n what to do..or how to even be around her.. I treat her like one of my trauma patients with kit gloves.. I dont even know what her official diagnosis is... So sad.. Where does one even begin?

[@nadiaoloui3909]

My sister has delusions of reference and bizarre delusions. She is so damn paranoid, but insists that she doesn't see or hear anything that's not real. Does she have schizophrenia even though there is no hallucinations or disordered speech? She speaks logically but her thoughts are crazy, and she is abusing us with her constant paranoia ( she insists that we pimped her to some famous person) please answer me, we are living in hell, thank you.

[@ZachGood]

There are several mental illnesses that cause delusions other than schizophrenia. Your best bet is to speak with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

[@1234earp]

This is hilarious! And painful, but also hilarious! I was married to a man with schizophrenia for 9 years and my 19 year old son was just diagnosed with schizophrenia. It’s really sad but oddly uplifting me to remember how it was being married to someone who was delusional. But now it’s my son and it is painful for real. Oddly enough my ex husband is not my son’s biological father so I guess I’m just destined to live and love someone with mental illness. It is hard, but it’s very important for the person with the mental illness to have someone who loves them no matter what. I’m watching videos to learn how to help my son and it’s affirming me that my ex husband was absolutely schizophrenic. He always said that I was cheating on him with no basis at all. That was just the beginning. He lost job after job and I never found out exactly why but I knew somehow it had to do with his mental illness. He used to say “they want to kill me” and I was like “who wants to kill you?” And it would just go on and on like this. Eventually I became part of the “bad guys” and could never get him to trust me again. For anyone else living and loving someone with this condition, you are very special and that person needs you, but you also have to let the professionals do their job because there’s only so much you can do. And prayer, lots of prayer and faith and hope. That’s what has been my source of strength. As well as laughter, which is very important!

[@phatandbeautiful]

Did your ex get help? I’m going through this & have been for years. It started with accusations of cheating which turned into every day & every one. I took a lie detector test & passed of course but it was pointless because he said my results were switched. Then he was showing more & more that he trusts no one, especially women. I thought he was just jealous before until it turned into untrusting every one. Now, he thinks any kind of video is talking directly to him, & me now too, I’m getting secret messages through videos. I’m part of “they” now. And a liar according to him. He doesn’t think anything is wrong tho.

[@1234earp]

Amanda, it’s surprising that I saw this comment at this moment as I am at work and it’s unusually slow. Please feel free to email me at [e-mail] so we can talk!

[@robertoromerro]

i have delusion of grandeur but it has basis. i throw objects and it is landing in a fortunate manner in a pattern so people are watching me through this system and they are maybe interested but there are also those people who have demised and they are not realy dead they are brought to an underground base and they are also watching me through this system where my thoughts can also be read (its visible on handheld devices or television). this is convincing to me because of evidence. but those demised also watch their loved ones and they are not let out of the base because its not allowed.

[@willchristie2650]

Very helpful even with Alzheimer's patients. My personal fantasy is that I am a Silver Fox instead of just an old man. LOL Of course, a fantasy is not the same as a delusion. Any guy in shape with a full head of hair after 70 IS a Silver Fox, right?

[@notnowimbusy3465]

One of my family is experiencing delusions and i don't know what to do about it. Its been years since her attitude changes and she really believes that what she's thinking is real. But her delusions is somewhat like convincing. For example her husband is cheating on her, her neighbors are stealing something on her, she also thinks that we were betraying her. Those are just few examples. And Many people believes her delusions because when she shares those thoughts she cries like it really happened. I've been trying to counter her thoughts but i'm afraid because i know that she will get angry or made it even worse. She has a goiter before and she undergoes a surgery. Is this the possible cause of her delusions or it is another disorder?

[@notnowimbusy3465]

I'm hoping that you could answer my question if you have time. Thanks.

[@remmirath42]

He made a video a while back called "How to talk to a delusional person", maybe that can help you?

[@dylanlane394]

His video about talking to delusional people is great.ive been delusional many times. 1.do not directly oppose the delusion 2.do not agree with delusion

[@adrian3747_]

Delusion of jealousy is a paranoid disorder isn’t it? Its hard to distinguish the two

[@ZachGood]

Jealous delusions can occur in paranoid personality disorder, but from my understanding, paranoid personality disorder encompasses a lot more symptoms/behaviors than just thinking that a partner is unfaithful. People with PPD are distrusting of other people in general.

[@koda5915]

i might have a reference thing going on, some events that happen (especially things to do with luck, and time) make me think that the universe is trying to tell me things, etc, stuff like that

[@ZachGood]

Human beings in general are (at least occasionally) compelled to believe irrational things - for example, thinking that rain on a wedding day is an ominous sign. I try to live as rationally as possible, but I'm 100% that even I have some irrational beliefs such as this. The issue becomes problematic when those beliefs drive someone's behavior and impair their ability to lead a normal life. Going back to the rainy wedding day example, only a person experiencing a delusion would be *so* concerned that they'd break off the wedding, thinking that a deity or the universe is telling them that getting married would be a huge mistake. Here's another example: We've all daydreamed about the possibility of our favorite celebrity meeting us and falling in love with us. There's a tiny part of my brain that holds out hope that I'll bump into Scarlett Johansson someday and she'll want to date me. But I know that the chances of this occurring are so low that it's effectively 0. I'd probably have a better chance of winning fifty million dollars in the lottery than I do of marrying Scarlett Johansson. If I were experiencing a delusion, however, not only would I daydream about meeting Scarlett Johansson, I'd be *so convinced* that she's going to marry me someday that I'd change my behavior based around that future expectation: Perhaps I'd move closer to her hometown, or send her letters every day, or take up hobbies that she likes, etc. Also, if I turned on the TV and a Scarlett Johansson movie was on, I'd believe that it's a sign from her that she's interested in me. This sounds far-fetched, but when I worked in the psychiatric hospital, I worked with people who did exactly these kinds of things. My point is, we humans all entertain irrational beliefs to some degree, but it only becomes a psychiatric concern when we become consumed by those beliefs to the extent that we change our behavior based on them. Also, Scarlett, if you happen to be reading this, let's meet up for dinner sometime!

[@koda5915]

@@ZachGood Thank you for the info! This helped a lot. I'm looking a lot more into it! :)

[@koda5915]

@@ZachGood If anything, the most I experience is attachment to characters that I often do things relating towards them (ex: eating their favorite food, acting like them) so for right now, im def doing my research ^^

[@Luna-ft8yh]

Oh man don't make a video like this with a shirt like that. Just makes my delusions stronger again lol for real

[@theharmonizingfool]

Lol

[@ayachizouhour8221]

Why r they delusions? Aren't they just wrong assumptions?

[@ZachGood]

The hallmark of a delusion is that it's a bizarre belief. For example, thinking that Nicolas Cage is the best actor in the world is an incorrect assumption but not a bizarre one, so it's not a delusion; on the other hand, thinking that Nicolas Cage is sending personal messages through his movies is bizarre and therefore, a delusion. To be a delusion, the false belief also must be maintained despite all contrary evidence.

[@ayachizouhour8221]

❤️

[@gracepowell6415]

How long do delusions usually last????

[@ZachGood]

Any amount of time, really. Could be a day, could be weeks, months, or sometimes even years. It depends on the cause and the person. Someone can also generally believe a delusional thought for a lengthy period of time but hold to the belief to a greater and lesser intensity during that time - in other words, one month the delusion might consume their life and the next month they might still believe the delusion but not think/care about it too much.

[@joshuakaeble7810]

I often consider that the delusions are a way for the mind to protect the ego (or possibly vise versa). Some individuals have a hard time accepting that they are average or even below average, so maybe this is a coping mechanism. Could it be possible that the individual actually knows that they aren't important, but just wants to believe it so that they don't have to suffer the indignity of being a nobody?

[@jesskyy2373]

I'm sick of everything my best friend Is delusional she thinks that there is a microship in her brain and someone Is monitoring her life through a laptop and everything about her life is broadcast on the internet ,, and when I started to tell her that she nees to see a doctor she had a visual delusion that someone send her a message on Facebook tells her that I'm manipulating her I don't know what to do I'm sad for what's happening to her and now she think that I'm the enemy and there is a conspiracy between me and someone to make her feel crazy????? I dont know what to do how to help her , she already taking schizophrina meds but she thinks it's because a shock that never happened to her in the past but she thinks it had happend but its not ..

[@ZachGood]

One thing you can do to help her is to accept that she has a major medical issue that clouds her ability to reason and think critically. When she discusses these delusional things with you, you can also help her by 1) not having any kind of emotional response (i.e. don't get upset, don't get worried, don't even furrow a brow) and 2) not challenging her delusions attempting to 'disprove' them. That's what I learned to do while working in the psychiatric hospital with patients who were experiencing delusions. Don't argue or agree; just listen and calmly discuss with her.

[@fareed3764]

Am I delusional if i think you look like the actor Clive Owen on a stric diet and not taken a bath ? thanks your video helpful

[@ZachGood]

That's actually not delusional - I kind of do look like him...but I'm more hygienic than you think :-)

[@paranxietyoia587]

There's no better explanation from this one with LeBron James!!!!!if you never experienced delusions that's what it feels like...yes it doesn't make any sense but when you experience it its just real.... i mean REAL

[@juliavooge5233]

I know this is an older video but have you ever dealt with someone having sexual delusion? I know it’s a touchy subject,especially now days. But I have someone in my life experience rape delusions. Everyone knows for a fact this never happened,some of the people she’s been raped by she’s never met. How would you deal with a delusion like this. Would they have this delusions from actually being raped at some point in their lives? I’m unfortunately not finding much research in sexual delusions. I’ve found some but very very little that didn’t give many answers on how to handle something this extremely touchy. We’re all kind of at a loss on how to handle this,

[@ZachGood]

First, I think it'd be helpful to simply view the delusion as a delusion and not try to categorize it. The reason is because all delusions are inherently the same thing: A false, bizarre belief someone maintains despite any supporting evidence. It's possible that your friend was sexually assaulted at some point in her life and is now reliving that through experiences that she's essentially imagining in her mind. It's also possible that her delusions are the result of severe PTSD or depression resulting from her sexual assault. But that's just conjecture - the only people who could determine that would be a licensed mental health professional (which I'm not) who's worked with her extensively (which I haven't). Now let's talk about how to respond when she discusses a sexual experience that you know for certain never happened (i.e. is a delusion). In this case, the content of her delusional beliefs actually makes it easier to interact with her. Here's why I say that: When someone is experiencing a delusion, the goal would be to get them to acknowledge that they need mental health treatment of some kind. The problem with most delusions, however, is that they're not even tangentially related to mental health, so it's often extremely difficult to get someone to agree to get treatment when they're experiencing delusions. For example, someone who believes that aliens are communicating with them through an implanted brain chip will not see the connection between their experience and the need to get treatment. Think about it - if aliens existed and they really were communicating with you, why would you need to talk to a counselor about it? It'd make more sense to talk to a scientist or a news reporter, if anyone. Now, when it comes to your friend, you can recommend mental health treatment without specifically needing to get your friend to acknowledge that she's experiencing delusions. After all, anyone who's been through sexual trauma would benefit from speaking to a professional. So in your situation, when your friend discusses a sexual assault that you know for a fact is a delusion, your message to your friend could simply be something along the lines of "It must be so difficult to go through something like that. Have you ever considered meeting with a counselor to talk through it? I bet that would help a lot." In this way, you could get her to buy in to the idea of getting treatment without needing her to recognize that her thoughts are delusional in nature. Again, I want to emphasize that I'm not a licensed professional and I'm not telling you what to do. I also don't know 99.9% of the situation. I'm simply accepting your premise as you presented it and putting myself in your shoes to give an objective third-person's view of the situation.

[@1234earp]

Could be histrionic or borderline personality disorder. My mom had it said things like this to get attention, and to shock people. Turned out the one person she really was raped by she never talked about.

[@paranxietyoia587]

I have friends who ripped off his jaket because he want to find the microphone😆😆when i want to show him something on the phone he want me to cover the front camera

[@liquiddonkey6530]

Oh, great Zack God who sees and loves me as the greatest astral decryption genius in the entire cosmic realm, please save me from your other commenters who are clearly mocking me and want to absorb my decryption powers for their own evil purposes. [get it, I tried to combine all the delusions; just sublimating my light schizophrenia into humor] [also I clicked the red button that my alien hacker friends made that allows me to stalk your online activities]

[@nancybennett1375]

You so funny 😂

[@NotBirds]

2 + 2 = 5

[@paddydowling5733]

I respect your experiences and what you've trained towards but you are so disrespectful to what patients suffer. Your impressions of people in a bad situation is not good. I'm sure you have helped many people and I hope you do in the future but don't be such an idiot about it. What if it happened to you?

[@ZachGood]

I disagree that my representations of people experiencing delusions is disrespectful. I think my depictions are honest and realistic. In addition, I have bipolar II disorder and have come close to experiencing full psychosis, so I'm very familiar with what it's like to have a delusion.

[@AngloAm]

How is anyone on this earth as gorgeous as Zach Good?

[@ZachGood]

I’m glad I’m finally getting recognition as a sex symbol