Delusion

What it means

A delusion is a fixed false belief held despite evidence to the contrary. The term delusion broadly encompasses all false judgments that possess the following external characteristics to a significant, albeit unspecified, extent: (1) they are held with an exceptional level of conviction, accompanied by an unparalleled subjective certainty; (2) there is an inability to consider alternative experiences or compelling counter-arguments; (3) the content of the belief is impossible.

Rare diseases that can present with this17

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category