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Persecutory delusions and psychological well-being

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Persecutory delusions are one of the key problems seen in psychotic conditions. The aim of the study was to assess for the first time the levels of psychological well-being specifically in patients with current persecutory delusions.

Method

One hundred and fifty patients with persecutory delusions in the context of a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis, and 346 non-clinical individuals, completed the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale and symptom assessments.

Results

Well-being scores were much lower in the persecutory delusions group compared with the non-clinical control group. 47 % of the persecutory delusions group scored lower than two standard deviations below the control group mean score. Within the patient group, psychological well-being was negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and hallucinations. In both groups, lower levels of well-being were associated with more severe paranoia.

Conclusions

Levels of psychological well-being in patients with current persecutory delusions are strikingly low. This is likely to arise from the presence of affective symptoms and psychotic experiences. Measurement of treatment change in positive mental health for patients with psychosis is recommended.

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Acknowledgments

This project (grant 09/160/06) was awarded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme and is funded by the  Medical Research Council (MRC) and managed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on behalf of the MRC-NIHR partnership. DF is supported by a UK Medical Research Council Senior Clinical Fellowship.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis, University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK

    Daniel Freeman, Helen Startup, Emma Černis, Nicole Evans, Rachel Lister & Katherine Pugh

  2. Centre for Biostatistics, Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Graham Dunn

  3. Academic Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Gail Wingham, Jacinta Cordwell & David Kingdon

Authors
  1. Daniel Freeman
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  2. Helen Startup
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  3. Graham Dunn
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  5. Emma Černis
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  6. Nicole Evans
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  7. Rachel Lister
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  8. Katherine Pugh
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  9. Jacinta Cordwell
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  10. David Kingdon
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Correspondence to Daniel Freeman.

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Freeman, D., Startup, H., Dunn, G. et al. Persecutory delusions and psychological well-being. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 1045–1050 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0803-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0803-y

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