Q.

7 Difference between Delusions and Hallucinations

Although both delusions and hallucinations come under the category of symptoms of schizophrenia.
They can sometimes take place together, they are separate phenomena with different characteristics.

A delusion is a fixed and false belief which is not grounded in reality and is maintained in spite of
evidence to the contrary. Delusions can be very complicated and may involve beliefs that are impossible
or unlikely to be true, such as believing that one has superhuman abilities or that one is working with
some spy agency.

Hallucinations, on the other hand, involve perceiving something that doesn't really exist. Hallucinations
can affect all senses, including sight, sound, flavor, smell and touch. For example, an individual may hear
voices, see people or things that are not there, or feel that insects are crawling on his skin.

Now, I will mention the key characteristics of these two symptoms while discussing where they differ.

1. Nature of the experience

 Delusions: based on False beliefs, That are fixed and bizarre.
 Hallucinations: false sensory experiences that occur without an external stimuli.

2. Presence of evidence
 Delusions : often held despite evidence to the conflicting evidence
 Hallucinations: occur when no external evidence exists but vivid and clear.

3. Effects on behavior
 Delusions: can lead to behaviors that are based on false beliefs.
 Hallucinations: can cause confusion or distress.

4. Persistency
 Delusions: may be persistent
 Hallucinations: may come and Go

5. Associated with
 Delusions: often associated with conditions such as schizophrenia
 Hallucinations: can occur in a range of conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and
substance abuse.

There is also a add-on that while Hallucinations is the symptoms which can happen also without any
underlying issue whereas Delusion is also considered as the disorder named Delusional disorder comes
under the Psychotic Disorder Category under DSM.