Is there a technical medical term for this?

Question

This is a fairly common mental problem. If a person wants something to be true so strongly that they believe it is true, and act as if it is true, even if it is not - what is the medical term for that?

Thanks for all the answers so far!

Delusional is probably closest, but there should be something more specific for the sort of behaviour I am wondering about.

One example that comes to mind is President Bush's unfortunate belief that Saddam was behind the tragic 7/11 bombings, and that he had "weapons of mass destruction" which he was likely to supply to terrorists. There was never supporting evidence that amounted to much, yet he believed this and got many other intelligent people in positions of power to agree with him and support his belief.

I have seen the same thing happen, though with less dramatic consequences, at management levels in the business world.

Answer 1

Delusion.

Answer 2

It sounds like you're talking about delusional behavior.

Delusions typically occur in the context of mental illness or neurological disorders although they aren't tied to any particular disease. They are more of a symptom.

The three main criteria for a belief to be considered delusional are:

certainty (held with absolute conviction)
incorrigibility (not changeable by compelling counterargument or proof to the contrary)
impossibility or falsity of content (implausible, bizarre or patently untrue)

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders a delusion is:

A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everybody else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's culture or subculture (e.g., it is not an article of religious faith).

Answer 3

Delirium.

Delirium is a syndrome, or group of symptoms, caused by a disturbance in the normal functioning of the brain. The delirious patient has a reduced awareness of and responsiveness to the environment, which may be manifested as disorientation, incoherence, and memory disturbance. Delirium is often marked by hallucinations, delusions, and a dream-like state.

Delirium affects at least one in 10 hospitalized patients, and is a common part of many terminal illnesses. Delirium is more common in the elderly than in the general population. While it is not a specific disease itself, patients with delirium usually fare worse than those with the same illness who do not have delirium.

Answer 4

Delusional

Answer 5

Munchausen’s syndrome is a mental problem where people do all they can to convince others they have something wrong with them (although they usually know they do not) they will change test results fake accidents exaggerate pains all sorts of things

Answer 6

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder; more specifically, it is an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but it is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.

However it is vague unless you can provide some information on the signs and symptoms - insomina e.g. of the person.

Answer 7

Phychosomatic illness: when you believe something so strongly you develop the actual symptoms. Ex: a woman strongly believes that she is pregnant. She believes it sooooo much that she starts to gain weight and experiences morning sickness. Even when she is not really pregnant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosomatic_illness