What is a "delusion"?

What is a "delusion"?

Christopher Reist (Academic Psychiatrist, Co-Author of “Psychiatry”) gives expert video advice on: Is there anything I can do to avoid developing a mental disorder? and more...

A delusion is a fixed, false belief that persists despite evidence to the contrary. For example: a person under a delusion may have an idea that an individual or organization is spying on them, and despite all their friends' or family's efforts to persuade them that this isn't the case, they still hold to this view. There are a number of characteristic delusions that we see. My example was of a paranoid delusion. You also have grandiose delusions where people believe that they have certain powers.