Which of the following is a form of delusional disorder in which an individual believes that another person, usually of a higher status, is in love with him?

1. A

   Erotomania delusion

2. B

   Delusion of reference

3. C

   Nihilistic delusion

4. D

   Delusion of grandeur

Appeared in: DSSSB October 2024

Explanation

• Erotomania is a delusional disorder where an individual believes that another person is in love with them.
• The object of the delusion is typically a person of higher social or professional status, who is often a stranger or acquaintance.
• The individual may interpret neutral or negative interactions as proof of this secret love.
• This condition is also known as de Clérambault's syndrome.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option B: A delusion of reference involves misinterpreting random events as having personal significance, not the belief that someone is in love with you.
• Option C: A nihilistic delusion is the belief that oneself or the world is non-existent or doomed, which is entirely different from a delusion about love.
• Option D: A delusion of grandeur involves an inflated sense of self-importance, power, or identity, not a belief about another person's feelings.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Types of Delusional Disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
• Recognizing the specific type of delusion is crucial for nurses to build a therapeutic relationship and avoid reinforcing the false belief.
• Patients with erotomanic delusions can pose a safety risk through stalking or harassment of the object of their delusion. Nurses must assess for and manage these risks.
• What if? If the patient believed a celebrity was in love with them but also believed that government agents were trying to stop this love affair, the diagnosis might be a 'mixed type' delusional disorder, combining erotomanic and persecutory themes, requiring a more complex safety plan.

How to Approach the Question

• First, analyze the question stem to identify the core belief being described. The key elements here are 'believes another person... is in love with him' and 'usually of a higher status'.
• Next, review the definitions of the delusion types provided in the options.
• Match the specific belief from the question to the correct definition.
• Erotomania directly corresponds to the belief that someone, often of higher status, is in love with the individual.
• Eliminate the other options by confirming their definitions do not match the scenario (reference = personal meaning in random events; nihilistic = non-existence; grandeur = self-importance).

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Types of Delusional Disorders
• Stem keywords: delusional disorder, believes another person, higher status, in love
• Lead-in keywords: Which of the following
• Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QNWEEl3_WA9rkBSxLDFhAO

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 5267-5269