EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES ON PARANOID DISORDER

The discrete clustering of thematic content in delusional disorder subtypes corresponds closely to several specific classes of normal mental concerns and suspicions that, in turn, correspond to distinct classes of enduring environmental challenges. Such content-specific normal mental configurations have been proposed previously to represent evolved adaptations to certain aspects of social reciprocity and mating. This article proposes that delusional disorders might represent disordered forms of such behavioral adaptations produced by hypersensitivity-designed by natural selection-to important environmental threats or opportunities or by behavioral misfiring triggered by exotic perceptions or environmental cues.