Delusional Patients A patient that is admitted and suffers from a form of mental illness may have an extra hard time adjusting to a hospital stay. When a patient is delusional they may have irrational thoughts, and they may have reactions based on those irrational thoughts. In order to properly handle and treat a patient in this condition, it's important to understand some about their thought process and condition. What is a Delusional Disorder? This is a form of mental illness, although it can be brought on by a number of factors. Certain drugs can cause delusions, while in some cases the person suffers from the condition with no known cause. Some may refer to this as paranoid thinking, however delusions are a different form of psychosis, similar but not the same. A patient that is delusional may think that a multitude of thoughts, which can include paranoia thoughts such as someone is trying to harm them. They may also see things that are not present, or hear things that are not omitting sounds. Essentially the patient may believe in something that never existed, or something that they remember from another time or place. Delusional patients may feel that someone is trying to poison them, harm them, deceive them, or conspire against them, and it could be people that are not even in existence. Related: Nurse Safety – What are the Risks? Working with a Delusional Patient Keep in mind, that a patient that is delusional may not visualize you as a nurse. You could appear in some other entity, which could be dangerous. For safety measures, if the patient has physical stamina its best to have someone with you when you are working with the patient. They may not intend to harm you at all, however they may see something besides you, due to the psychosis, which in their eyes may pose an extreme threat to them. Any medications you are planning to administer may appear as poison to the patient, again, a second person in the room may prevent an accident. Always ask the patient if its ok prior to doing anything, even tucking in a sheet or adding a blanket. Talking in a calm voice, and avoiding sudden movements near the patient is likely to ease tensions. If the delusional thoughts originated from drugs, as the patient withdraws they may improve, however it often increases in severity prior to getting better.
Forms of Delusional Disorder There are various types of this disorder, and it’s important to know which type you are dealing with in order to provide safety for the patient. Erotomanic is a form of delusional thinking that provokes the person to believe someone, usually famous, is in love with them. This has caused many of the stalking’s of famous actors and actresses over the years. The person believes that the victim wants to be followed and watched, so they are very confused when suddenly they are arrested. This generally leads to psychiatric treatment rather in imprisonment. If you have ever met a person that is overboard about what they can do, or who they are, this is a form of Grandiose Delusion. They may appear to have an extremely high self-confidence, however the things they believe they know, and can do are often simply in their minds. Even extreme jealousy can get to the point of being delusional. The more jealous a person is, the more it may build in their minds, and the imagination begins to take over. Related:
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It’s easy to see how a delusional patient could pose danger under the right circumstances. Delusional thoughts can often be treated and kept under control with medications and therapy, however until a patient is deemed under control, extreme caution should be exercised when working with them. Remember, the patient has no control over irrational thoughts, visions, or sounds, so don’t try to tell them they don’t exist, but instead divert the conversation if possible. Safety first: Visit the patient in pairs for everyone’s safety. Related: Acclaimed Registered Nurse, Donna L. Carroll, RN will be Displayed in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter