What is Delusion?
A '''delusion''' is a false [[belief]] held by a person. When [[Medical doctor|doctors]] talk about delusions, they mean that the false belief is the result of some [[disease]]. This is usually a disease of the [[mind]], such as [[paranoia]], [[schizophrenia]] or [[bipolar disorder]], but not always. Delusions can come in many forms, such as [[Persecution|persecutory]] delusions (a belief that the person is always being attacked), grandiose delusions (a belief that the person is very special), religious delusions (a belief that the person is a [[god]]), and more. The psychiatrist [[Karl Jaspers]] created the first [[wikt:criterion|criteria]] for a belief to be considered a delusion:<ref>{{Cite book|title=Allgemeine Psychopathologie. Ein Leitfaden für Studierende, Ärzte und Psychologen.|last=Jaspers|first=Karl|publisher=J. Springer|year=1913|location=Berlin}}</ref> * The person with the delusion is completely convinced that it is true. * The delusion does not change even when it is proved to be wrong. * The delusion is improbable or strange. However, these [[wikt:guideline|guidelines]] have been criticized because none of the criteria are necessary to have a delusion. Studies show that delusions can change in intensity and confidence over time.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Myin-Germeys |first1=I. |last2=Nicolson |first2=N. A. |last3=Delespaul |first3=P. A. E. G. |title=The context of delusional experiences in the daily life of patients with schizophrenia |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_psychological-medicine_2001-04_31_3/page/489 |journal=Psychological Medicine |date=April 2001 |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=489–498 |doi=10.1017/s0033291701003646|pmid=11305857 }}</ref> Delusions also do not need to be false beliefs.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Spitzer M|year=1990|title=On defining delusions|url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0010-440X(90)90023-L|journal=Compr Psychiatry|volume=31|issue=5|pages=377–97|doi=10.1016/0010-440X(90)90023-L|pmid=2225797}}<br /></ref> Some religious beliefs cannot be proved fal