The person with delusions does not need help to change, but to be as he is without suffering. There are several ways to achieve this, as long as those around you are understanding and loving.
Last update: June 14, 2022
The person with delusions does not always find sufficient support. In many cases, attention is reduced to the diagnosis and prescription of drugs. How to help the person with delusions in the best way?
Those affected by this condition can experience great suffering. He has ideas, perceptions or experiences that are very difficult for others to understand. Often he has to deal with unwanted loneliness with few tools available to prevent it from causing deep pain.
there different approaches to help the person with delusions. While they are not a substitute for psychiatric care, they can be a great complement to treatment. It is, in fact, an essential aspect that health systems do not always offer.
Those who interact with the person on a daily basis often don't know what to do. They try to "make people understand", because the idea that "reason" adheres to common beliefs prevails. It is also possible that the person is simply ignored. But there are other ways to handle these kinds of situations and we'll talk about them shortly.
Unusual beliefs
We could say that in society there are some “permitted follies” and others forbidden. When a misconception, or even delusional one, is shared by many, it is considered normal.
Conversely, an unusual belief or idea is labeled as anomalous. If, moreover, there is a diagnosis, it all falls within the scope of the disease.
Not all mental health professionals see things this way. Among many others, researchers Marius Romme and Sandra Escher found that hear voices and having unusual beliefs is more common than you think. For some people it's a normal experience and they don't have to become like everyone else to "feel good".
From this point of view, the aim is not to make the person stop having these experiences and beliefs, but rather to che does not prevent you from leading your life nor does it involve great suffering.
The scientific literature available on the subject is very large, but let's move on to the main topic of this article: how to help the person with delusions.
Helping the person with delusions
The central premise for helping the person with delusions is to accept them as they are. You have truly unique ideas, beliefs or personal experiences, but this is part of his identity.
The task of those around her is not to make her stop being like this, thinking or living in a certain way. It must be respected as a particular experience, on which others must not intervene.
The desire, or even the expectation, that the person with delusions change is only a source of distress for them. Far from helping, it increases the feeling of misunderstanding, isolation and sadness.
On the contrary, everyone should be committed to listening with respect. The person with delusions should be able to talk about their experiences, without being blamed. If we wish to help her, the ideal is to listen to her with respect and without judging her.
Coping strategies
If the purpose is to help the person with delusions, respectful listening is the central strategy. Apart from this, it is possible to implement other strategies that will help the person to enjoy greater well-being. Between these:
- Protection strategies. It is important to help the person identify actions or situations that allow them to feel more secure and protected. For example, leaving the light on at night, wearing a hat, etc.
- Change context. When the person is deeply distressed by the delusions, a different context can be helpful. A trip or even a short walk helps in these cases.
- Prepare for difficult situations. Make a plan for dealing with challenging situations. It is important to identify perceived threats and develop a plan so that it can address them.
- Self-affirmation. The person with delusions needs to trust themselves and what will happen. Saying affirmative phrases to yourself such as "I will get over it" or "I will get rid of this situation" can help.
A person with delusions has need to stay away from stress, strengthen self-esteem and feel accepted and loved - universal needs, but in which it usually has greater deficiencies, precisely derived from the significant clinical entity.
Structured routines help to establish better, as does training in social skills and problem-solving strategies, as they increase the sense of control over the surrounding environment.
