What it is
Fixed false beliefs not responsive to evidence or reasoned argument — a significant psychiatric symptom requiring prompt professional assessment and, usually, medical intervention.
Research-supported
Delusions
Fixed false beliefs not responsive to evidence or reasoned argument — a significant psychiatric symptom requiring prompt professional assessment and, usually, medical intervention.
CategoryNeurological
Reviewed by Internal Medical Editorial Team · Editorial Health Review
26 March 2026
At a glance
Delusions at a glance
Commonly experienced as
- Experiencing delusions is frightening — both for the person and for those around them. The person experiencing persecutory delusions lives in a genuinely threatening subjective reality. Family members watching someone they love develop delusional thinking often feel helpless and frightened. The critical issue is that this is a medical symptom — not a choice or a reflection of the person.
