Are conspiracy theorists psychotic? A comparison between conspiracy theories and paranoid delusions

CONCLUSIONS Conspirational thinking is common in uncertain circumstances. It gives grip, certainty, moral superiority and social support. Extreme conspirational thinking seems to fit current psychiatric definitions of paranoid delusions, but there are also important differences. To make a distinction with regard to conspiratorial thinking, deepening of conventional definitions of delusions is required. Instead of the strong focus on the erroneous content of delusions, more attention should be given to the underlying idiosyncratic, changed way of experiencing reality.PMID:34851516

Source: Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie - December 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Authors: W Veling B Sizoo J van Buuren C van den Berg W Sewbalak G H M Pijnenborg N Boonstra S Castelein L van der Meer Source Type: research