Delusional Disorders: building clinician capacity to improve treatment outcomes
Delusional disorder (DD) is a well-recognised psychotic disorder, characterised by the presence of one or more delusional beliefs persisting for at least one month in the absence of other psychopathology (non-prominent hallucinations consistent with delusional themes may be reported). It is a relatively uncommon disorder, with an estimated lifetime prevalence in the community of 1.8 per 1000. DD can be difficult to identify due to what can be the circumscribed nature and sometimes seemingly rational articulation of delusional beliefs .
Many articles on the treatment of DD promote an optimistic view on the treatability of delusional disorders against a purported backdrop of a professed pessimism towards its treatability. However, this claim has never been rigorously tested nor quantified.
Our research aims to quantify the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence of assessing and treating DD among three clinical professions who may engage with individuals with DD in their professional roles.
