Ideas and delusions of reference
Appearance
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Ideas of reference and delusions of reference involve people having a belief or perception that irrelevant, unrelated or innocuous phenomena in the world refer to them directly or have special personal significance. In psychiatry, delusions of reference form part of the diagnostic criteria for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia[1], delusional disorder, or bipolar disorder during the elevated stages of mania.
Persons with ideas of reference may experience:
- A feeling that people on television or radio are talking about or talking directly to them
- Believing that headlines or stories in newspapers are written especially for them