Posted by SLS on July 30, 2014, at 8:36:51
In reply to Re: Ideas of reference in schizoaffective disorder? » vbs, posted by baseball55 on July 29, 2014, at 20:10:50
> > I stumbled upon this phenomenon while researching St. John's Wort. Wikipedia describes ideas of reference as a psychotic condition where someone believes coincidental events relate to "one's own destiny;" everything happens for a reason. I notice myself believing that a lot. It bothers me.
>
> This definition seems overly broad. Many people believe everything happens for a reason, including many religious people. In psychology, "ideas of reference" means thinking general things refer to you, specifically. It refers to beliefs like: people on television are speaking of you specifically or are sending you messages; noise made by neighbors occurs because they are talking about you, plotting against you; people you meet or encounter are agents of some power trying to harm you. Ideas of reference are delusional and often paranoid.I agree with this characterization.
Personally, I experienced some heavy-duty ideas of reference in association with bipolar mania.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1068941
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20140718/msgs/1068966.html