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Delusion

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Delusions are spontaneously occurring false beliefs held with strong conviction regardless of evidence to the contrary, rational argument, or how much the belief seemingly contradicts the individual's prior understanding of the world.

In the context of psychoactive substances, many hallucinogens can induce temporary delusions as perspectives which one may slip into during high dosage experiences. They are most likely to occur during states of memory suppression and share common themes and elements with clinical schizophrenia. In most cases, these substance induced delusions can be broken out of when overwhelming evidence is provided to the contrary or when the person has sobered up enough to logically analyse the situation. It is exceedingly rare for hallucinogen induced delusions to persist into sobriety.

Types

Delusions are typically categorized into four different groups:

  • Bizarre delusion: This is a delusion that is very strange and completely implausible. An example of a bizarre delusion could be the belief that aliens have removed the delusional person's brain.[1]
  • Non-bizarre delusion: This is a delusion that, though false, is at least possible. An example of this could be the belief that the delusional person is currently under police surveillance.[2]
  • Mood-congruent delusion: This is any delusion with content consistent with either a depressive or manic state. For example, a depressed person may believe that a news anchors on television highly disapproves of them or a person or that the world is ending. However, a manic person might believe that they are a powerful deity, that they have special talents or abilities, or are a famous person.[3]
  • Mood-neutral delusion: This is a delusion that does not relate to the sufferer's emotional state. For example, a belief that an extra limb is growing out of the back of one's head would likely be neutral to a persons depression or mania.[4]

Themes

In addition to these categories, delusions often manifest according to a wide variety of themes. Although delusions can have any theme, certain themes are more common. Some of the more common delusional themes which are induced by psychoactive substances are described and documented below:

Delusion of reference

Delusions of reference are perhaps the most common type of delusion. They typically entail falsely held beliefs that insignificant remarks, events, coincidences, or objects in one's environment have personal meaning or significance that relates directly back to the person's life.

In psychiatry, delusions of reference form part of the diagnostic criteria for illnesses such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. To a lesser extent, it can also be a symptom of paranoid personality disorder. They can also be caused by intoxication, especially with hallucinogens or during stimulant psychosis.

A list of common examples of this type of delusion and described and documented below:

  • Believing that everyone on a passing bus is talking about them
  • Believing that people on television or radio are talking about or talking directly to them
  • Believing that headlines or stories in newspapers are written especially for them
  • Believing that events (even world events) have been deliberately contrived for them, or have special personal significance for them
  • Believing that the lyrics of a song are specifically about them
  • Believing that the normal function of cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices are sending secret and significant messages that only they can understand or believe.
  • Believing that objects or events are being set up deliberately to convey a special or particular meaning to themselves
  • Believing that the slightest careless movement on the part of another person has a significant and deliberate meaning
  • Believing that posts on social network websites or Internet blogs have hidden meanings pertaining to them.

Delusion of sobriety

Delusions of sobriety are the most common type of delusion that is experienced under the influence of GABAergic compounds such as alcohol and benzodiazepines. They typically entail falsely held beliefs that one is perfectly sober despite obvious evidence to the contrary such as severe cognitive impairment, significant motor control loss and an inability to fully communicate with others.

Delusion of transcendence

Delusions of transcendence are commonly experienced under the influence of heavy dosages psychedelic compounds, particularly during states of high level geometry, memory suppression, and internal hallucinations. They typically entail falsely held beliefs that one has "transcended into a higher plane of existence" or that they have discovered the secret to "transcending" and will be able to implement it just as soon as they sober up. Once this occurs, however, the supposed secret is found to be nonsensical or incorrect.

Delusion of enlightenment

Delusions of enlightenment are the most common type of delusion under the influence of short acting ego death inducing hallucinogenic compounds such as DMT, nitrous oxide and salvia. They typically entail sudden the sudden realization the one has suddenly become "enlightened" and has figured out the answer to life, the universe and everything. At the time, this answer is felt to be incredibly simplistic and self-evident but is immediately forgotten or realized to be nonsensical once the person has sobered up.

Delusion of death

Delusions of death are commonly experienced under the influence of heavy dosages psychedelic and dissociative compounds. They typically entail falsely held beliefs that one is about to die, is currently dying, does not exist or has already died. This delusion seems to be a result of misinterpreting the experience of losing one's sense of self during states of high level ego death and anxiety.

Delusion of guilt

Delusions of guilt are commonly experienced under the influence of heavy dosages psychedelic and dissociative compounds. They typically entail ungrounded and intense feelings of remorse or guilt that lead one into concluding that they must have committed some sort of unethical act. This supposed unethical act can range from something relatively mild such as the belief that they have cheated on their partner or it can be something much more serious such as the belief that they have murdered their friends and family.

Delusion of reality

Delusions of reality are commonly experienced under the influence of heavy dosages of dissociative and occassionally psychedelic compounds. They typically entail the unfounded belief that something fictional such as the plot of a tv-show, film, videogame, or book is a real life event that is genuinely occurring in one's immediate vicinity. This delusion seems to be a result of high level immersion enhancement combining with memory suppression to create a state of mind in which somebody is highly engrossed in media while no longer having a functional long term memory that can recall the difference between reality and fiction.

Delusion of unreality

Delusions of unreality are commonly experienced under the influence of heavy dosages hallucinogens and occassionally during stimulant psychosis. They typically entail the unfounded belief that one is living inside of a videogame, dream, or movie and that their current actions therefore will not have any real life consequences. Depending on the person, this delusion can sometimes result in committing crimes or violent acts. It seems to be a result of high level derealization combining with disinhibition and memory suppression to create a state of mind in which somebody can mistake reality for a fictional hallucination.

Delusion of grandiosity

Delusions of grandiosity are rarely experienced under the influence of heavy dosages of psychedelic compounds and occasionally during stimulant psychosis. They typically entail the unfounded belief that oneself or another person has become a god, demigod, immortal entity, superhuman or celebrity.

When a person thinks that they themselves have become a god it is seemingly a result of high level ego inflation and mania. However, when a person thinks that the people around them have become godlike while they have not, it seems to commonly be a result of those people being more sober than the delusional person, resulting in the misinterpretation that they are somehow more capable than a normal human being, when in fact it is just the delusional person who has become less capable due to cognitive suppressions such as memory suppression.

Psychoactive substances

Compounds within our psychoactive substance index which may cause this effect include:

... further results

Experience reports

Anecdotal reports which describe this effect within our experience index include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "minddisorders.com | http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html
  2. ↑ "minddisorders.com | http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html
  3. ↑ "minddisorders.com | http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html
  4. ↑ "minddisorders.com | http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html
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