Posted by smokeymadison on December 20, 2004, at 0:20:21
In reply to 1.1, posted by alexandra_k on December 19, 2004, at 17:40:40
i believe that i have been borderline delusional at times. once i thought my boyfriend was going to stab me. we were arguing, but he hadn't even raised his voice. i moved out for a week and called the police twice b/c i was sure that he was going to kill me. i considered taking out a restraining order. would you consider this delusional? or perhaps just obsessional? everything my senses took in told me that i was in no harm, but in my head i was sure that i was going to die. he wasn't loud or threatening in any way, looking back on it, of course. i "snapped" out of it after a week. it just hit me how ridiculous i was being.
sometimes i feel like i am being watched. i try to act normal, but i act as if someone is watching. it is just a feeling i can't shake.
i have read the DSM's definition of "delusion" many times. the problem i have with it is that at times i have have acted out delusions while some small part of me knows the belief is false. it is like my consciousness is fragmented into uneven chunks. antipsychotics keep the rational chunks large, but doesn't really get rid of the small, irrational ones. the meds keep the small, irrational ones from taking over.
so, is someone delusional if their BEHAVIOR is governed by a false belief while some small part of them, far in the back of their mind, knows that the belief that drives the behavior is false? i am starting from the premise that thoughts drive behavior. what is more important in diagnosing psychosis, the delusional behavior or the tiny thought that contradicts it?
SM
poster:smokeymadison
thread:431767
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/write/20041210/msgs/431931.html