Finding order within the disorder: A case study exploring the meaningfulness of delusions
Ritunnano, Rosa Humpston, Clara Broome, Matthew
Ritunnano, Rosa
Humpston, Clara
Broome, Matthew
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Affiliation
Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham; Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust; Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
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Publication date
2022-04
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Abstract
Can delusions, in the context of psychosis, enhance a person’s sense of meaningfulness? The case described here suggests that, in some circumstances, they can. This prompts further questions into the complexities of delusion as a lived phenomenon, with important implications for the clinical encounter. While assumptions of meaninglessness are often associated with concepts of ‘disorder’, ‘harm’ and ‘dysfunction’, we suggest that meaning can nonetheless be found within what is commonly taken to be incomprehensible or even meaningless. A phenomenological and value-based approach appears indispensable for clinicians facing the seemingly paradoxical coexistence of harmfulness and meaningfulness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
Citation
Ritunnano, R., Humpston, C., & Broome, M. R. (2022). Finding order within the disorder: A case study exploring the meaningfulness of delusions. BJPsych Bulletin, 46(2), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.151
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Article