Megalomania is a belief in a person that he has greatness, majesty, or power. This belief is not just an attitude of arrogance, but is part of a mental disorder.
People with megalomania can be identified by the belief that they have power, power, intelligence, or wealth. However, this belief is actually a false belief or also called a delusion, to be precise, a delusion of grandeur.
Often the opinions that people with megalomania make about themselves are unreasonable. However, any kind of debate will not be able to change his thinking. This tendency can appear in people who have narcissistic personality traits or people with certain psychiatric problems.
Diseases that Cause Megalomania
Megalomania is actually a symptom of mental disorders in the form of disturbances in the content of the mind. The following are some types of mental disorders that can cause megalomania:
1. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that causes sufferers to have difficulty distinguishing reality from their own thoughts. Schizophrenia can cause several symptoms, such as hallucinations, thinking confusion, and changes in behavior.
In addition, schizophrenia can also cause delusions. There are various types of delusions that can appear in people with schizophrenia. One of them is megalomania.
2. Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that causes sufferers to experience drastic emotional changes. People with bipolar disorder can usually experience a mania phase (very happy) and a depressive phase (very sad).
In severe bipolar disorder, hallucinations and delusions may occur, such as megalomania. These symptoms usually appear when people with bipolar disorder experience a mania phase.
3. Dementia
Dementia is a disease that causes a decrease in memory and thinking. This condition greatly affects the lifestyle, social skills, and daily activities of the sufferer.
Dementia can cause delusions. Usually, the delusions that arise are paranoid delusions that make the sufferer suspect that someone is going to hurt or poison him. However, delusions of grandeur or megalomania can also occur in people with dementia.
4. Delirium
Delirium is a sudden change in the brain that causes the sufferer to experience severe confusion, decreased awareness of the surrounding environment, or sometimes a change in perception in the form of megalomania. Delirium is usually caused by a severe infection, alcohol poisoning, or lack of oxygen.
5. Delusional disorder
Delusional disorder or delusional disorder is a mental illness that causes sufferers to have one or more delusions. Unlike the previous illnesses, the only symptom of delusional disorder is the appearance of the delusion itself.
The types of beliefs that can arise in people with delusional disorders are megalomania who believe in their greatness, nihilistic delusions that believe that there will be a big disaster, or erotomaniac delusions who believe that someone loves them.
Treatment for Patients with Megalomania
Megalomania can be cured if the mental illness that caused it is resolved. In general, the following are examples of treatments that can be used to treat this symptom:
Drugs
To treat megalomania in schizophrenia, the drugs used are antipsychotics. This drug works by affecting chemicals or neurotransmitter in the brain, especially dopamine.
Meanwhile, to treat bipolar disorder with megalomania, drugs that are often used are mood stabilizer, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, such as talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, can help relieve the symptoms of megalomania. Psychotherapy aims to change unreasonable thoughts into more plausible and defensible ones. Usually, this therapy still has to be accompanied by drugs.
Treatment in a mental hospital
Psychiatric disorders that cause megalomania can be to a severe stage, even to the point of causing sufferers to injure themselves or others. If it has reached this stage, the patient needs to be treated in a mental hospital until his condition is stable.
Megalomania should not be taken lightly. This condition may not be recognized as a mental disorder and make the sufferer disliked or shunned by the people around him. This of course will make it too late to get the help he should get.
In addition, people with megalomania are usually unaware that they need a doctor's help. Therefore, if the person closest to you has signs of megalomania, immediately invite him to visit a psychiatrist to get the appropriate treatment.
