• Dependability

• Conformance to rules

• Judgment

• Logical thinking

• Cooperation

• Tact

Delusional disorders seldom result in a vocational impediment. The exceptions are situations where the object of the delusion is a boss or co-worker in the workplace. For example, the person believes he is being persecuted by his employer and may quit or be fired because of it. Similarly, if jealousy delusions involve a loved one or spouse who is employed in the same setting or that one's coworkers are involved with the spouse or loved one, work difficulties may result. Ordinarily, however, persons with paranoid delusions are suspicious and keep their secrets to themselves. Even when others become aware of the person's delusions, there is a tendency to view the person as merely a crank. Much depends on the object of the delusion. The businessperson who believes he is being persecuted by the IRS, or the coworker who has a two-timing spouse, is likely to be viewed with sympathy by others.

Available research indicates that approximately half of the persons with delusional disorders experience a remission and the other half have a chronic or persistent pattern. The prospects for treatment of those with chronic patterns are bleak. Delusional disorders do not respond to anti-psychotic medication. Individual psychotherapy is generally unsuccessful because the therapist cannot penetrate the elaborate, systematic, and logical construction of the delusion. Consequently, delusional thinking remains.