Overvalued ideas

Definition

Unreasonable and sustained beliefs that are maintained with less than delusional intensity (i.e., the person is able to acknowledge the possibility that the belief may not be true). An alternative use of this term is to refer to conventional or plausible thoughts (e.g., religious concepts, political ideas, or excessively idealistic beliefs) that are held with such a level of intensity so that the person's life is taken up by them.

Exclusions

• Delusion
• Grandiosity
• Paranoid ideation
• Referential thinking

Index Terms