The last decade, has seen a growing interest in formulating theories to explain delusion formation, and a large body of research has been designed to test those theories. In this article, first, difficulties in defining and elucidating the characteristics of delusions are addressed, then the theories are reviewed under the following headings; theory of mind deficits, abnormal perception, disordered reasoning, social attribution theory, and neuropsychological and neural network models; controversies about each are also reported. Still, it seems that we are far from explaining different types of delusions in different types of disorders by a single mechanism; and testable integrating models are needed. However, research on delusions can increase our understanding about this cardinal symptom of psychosis, and can provide many implications for diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2000/05/15 | Accepted: 2000/07/23 | Published: 2000/09/22