Delusional Disorder and Gender

[Page 425]Delusional disorders are a category of mental disorders in which individuals experience delusions for at least 1 month but have never had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. There are several subtypes of delusional disorder, including persecutory, grandiose, jealous, somatic, and erotomanic. Although individuals diagnosed with delusional disorder experience delusions that may negatively affect their home, work, and social lives, the impact of the disorder on their lives is less severe than in other psychotic illnesses, such as schizophrenia. For each of the subtypes of delusional disorder, except the jealous subtype, there is no gender difference in prevalence, onset, or outcome. The jealous subtype occurs as much as three times more frequently in males than in females. Guided by an evolutionary psychological perspective, this entry addresses ...