hey, it’s almost like what delusional / psychotic people have been saying about what helps us cope is widely accepted by the medical community, to the point where it’s taught to new healthcare professionals
(taken from my nursing assistant textbook)
DAMN DIRTY SJWS AND THEIR… medically backed coping techniques…
does this also apply to paranoid or negative delusions?
I asked my professor after class and she says that it’s really on a case by case basis. any delusion that may harm you or other people is obviously something to work with a professional on .. but the healthcare worker’s job isn’t to disprove you even then, it’s to connect you to resources to help you cope with it
to clarify, validating isn’t saying “I believe you” it’s saying “I understand that you believe this, how can I help and support you?” so that part is always applicable 🙂
From what I’ve spoken to my professors about, and seen in the extant literature, it’s actually considered especially important for people to be validated about their paranoid/negative delusions.
Someone who is very distraught will feel better if they know their feelings are being taken seriously and other people are looking out for their safety.
For example, if someone believes a person is going to crawl through their window and attack them, challenging that belief is not going to help. What would help is making them feel safe: offering to move them to a room without windows, or having someone sit by the window and keep watch.
“Disproving” a delusion only serves to make the practitioner feel superior, it doesn’t help the person having the delusion. Validation and support is what helps.
Which just boils down to what OP said: Listen to delusional/psychotic people, they know best.
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