A client believes the CIA has placed him in witness protection because of connections to the President. This is best described as

A client believes the CIA has placed him in witness protection because of connections to the President. This is best described as

• A. Delusions of reference
• B. Delusions of grandeur
• C. Delusions of persecution
• D. Delusions of nihilism

Answer: (B)

Delusions of grandeur involve fixed beliefs of special status, power, or extraordinary importance. Here, the client believes the CIA placed him in witness protection because of connections to the President, which implies an inflated sense of personal importance and a perceived elite relationship with powerful institutions. This fits grandiose delusions. This differs from persecution, where the center is that others are plotting against or harming the person. The scenario emphasizes being protected and influential rather than being targeted. Delusions of nihilism involve meaninglessness or the belief that one’s existence or the world is coming to an end, which doesn’t apply here. Delusions of reference would involve ordinary events being interpreted as personally related to the individual, which also isn’t the core idea in this case.

Delusions of grandeur involve fixed beliefs of special status, power, or extraordinary importance. Here, the client believes the CIA placed him in witness protection because of connections to the President, which implies an inflated sense of personal importance and a perceived elite relationship with powerful institutions. This fits grandiose delusions.

This differs from persecution, where the center is that others are plotting against or harming the person. The scenario emphasizes being protected and influential rather than being targeted. Delusions of nihilism involve meaninglessness or the belief that one’s existence or the world is coming to an end, which doesn’t apply here. Delusions of reference would involve ordinary events being interpreted as personally related to the individual, which also isn’t the core idea in this case.