When someone is delusional, it can be difficult to know what to do. If you’re in a relationship with them, it’s even more difficult. You may feel that you need to help them and make sure they get better, but if they don’t believe what you say then how will that help? In this article, we’ll explore the causes behind delusions and how best to deal with them when they occur in your life or someone else’s.
Identifying Delusions
Delusions are defined as false beliefs that have an influence on a person’s thoughts and behavior. A delusion can be considered a type of mental health condition, and it can occur in any age group. The symptoms of delusions include:
- Incorrectly interpreting events or reality
- Believing something to be true despite contradictory evidence
- Believing something to be true even when there is no evidence to support them (metacognition)
Helping Someone Who Is Delusional
If you’re trying to help someone who is delusional, it can be tempting to try and convince them of something that isn’t true. You might think this will make them feel better or get their focus off of something else in their life. Unfortunately, this will only make things worse as they will become even more confused and agitated by your attempts at reasoning with them.
Another thing you should avoid doing is reasoning with an individual who is angry or violent when they are delusional because these emotions don’t allow for rational thought processes.
You need to find other ways to help them.
You can’t just tell them to get better. They need to be able to recognize that they have a problem and recognize how they can deal with it.
It’s also important not to try and convince them of something you know is not true. Don’t try and convince them that their delusions are real, that there is no such thing as aliens, or that the world isn’t flat (for example). Instead, offer support if you believe it’s needed.
Don’t try to convince
If you are trying to convince someone that something is true, it will only make them feel worse. This may lead them to become even more delusional and angry at your attempts to get them help. If they are delusional, they may not understand the truth and will not accept any information presented as fact. In this case, it’s best just to let them be as long as possible and hope for the best (or at least keep quiet).
Offer support if you believe it’s needed.
If you believe that your friend or family member is suffering from a mental illness, it’s important to offer support if they need it. You can do this by being there for them, listening to their concerns and offering advice on how they might handle situations in the future.
You may be surprised by how much of a difference your presence makes; even if they don’t want your help right now (and sometimes even if they do), just knowing that someone cares enough about them not only makes things easier but also changes their outlook on life as well.
Conclusion
The best way to deal with a delusional person is to be compassionate and understanding. You may not know what to say, but that’s OK because in this situation words aren’t very important at all. In fact, sometimes it’s better if you don’t try to convince them of anything; just offer them support if they need it.