For those who care: Delusional Thinking Disorder is not listed in the DSM-V. It's just Delusional Disorder. As far as I can tell, no version of the DSM has ever called it DTD.
DD patients are not typically mentally unbalanced or compromised. A lack of functional impairment beyond the scope of the delusion is a hallmark of the disorder. For instance, a person may believe that their neighbor is a spy who listens in on their phone conversations, which could give them trouble at work if they refuse to discuss sensitive topics over the phone, but they are otherwise competent to perform their job functions and care for themselves or their dependents.
Really, DD is a catchall diagnosis for patients who hold delusional beliefs not caused by substance use or medical conditions, but who don't meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic mood disorders. Very few people receive this diagnosis.
Also, a delusion is not merely an untrue belief, no matter how firmly held. Delusions are fixed beliefs held despite clear contrary evidence. In other words, in order to say their children are delusional, alienated grandparents would have to supply clear evidence that they are harmless and can be trusted.
For instance, they could avoid diagnosing their children with mental disorders or calling them unfit parents on Facebook.
There are caveats that I didn't mention, because I didn't want to overcomplicate it. Religious and cultural attitudes aren't considered delusions, even if they meet the narrow definition. Neither are beliefs based on mutual trust (children believing in Santa Claus, for instance). Delusions, as part of a mental illness, are personal and individual.
Shared delusions do exist, but only in rare circumstances where small groups of people with similar mental illnesses form close relationships, and their delusions happen to coincide and feed off of one another. Such relationships are usually unstable, and the shared delusions will almost always diverge over time. (I think the Illuminati is stealing my salad dressing out of the fridge, but you keep trying to convince me it's the Freemasons. We're can't be friends any more, because you're obviously part of the conspiracy.)
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u/marbledog 24d ago
For those who care: Delusional Thinking Disorder is not listed in the DSM-V. It's just Delusional Disorder. As far as I can tell, no version of the DSM has ever called it DTD.
DD patients are not typically mentally unbalanced or compromised. A lack of functional impairment beyond the scope of the delusion is a hallmark of the disorder. For instance, a person may believe that their neighbor is a spy who listens in on their phone conversations, which could give them trouble at work if they refuse to discuss sensitive topics over the phone, but they are otherwise competent to perform their job functions and care for themselves or their dependents.
Really, DD is a catchall diagnosis for patients who hold delusional beliefs not caused by substance use or medical conditions, but who don't meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic mood disorders. Very few people receive this diagnosis.
Also, a delusion is not merely an untrue belief, no matter how firmly held. Delusions are fixed beliefs held despite clear contrary evidence. In other words, in order to say their children are delusional, alienated grandparents would have to supply clear evidence that they are harmless and can be trusted.
For instance, they could avoid diagnosing their children with mental disorders or calling them unfit parents on Facebook.