Is Delulu Really the Solulu?

A guest post about flirting with psychosis

My darlings! Last year while I was off on my strange world tour, I had the privilege of meeting so many beautiful and smart people. When I meet these people I’m always like ‘HOW THE HELL IS NO ONE PUBLISHING YOU????’ ‘LET ME????’ and it’s my greatest joy to do so - especially for young writers! Here we have Roxana, who I met while speaking at Web Summit, and we chatted about our journeys with loved ones experiencing mental health crises like mania and psychosis - you know - the ones we don’t talk about so much? Luckily for us, Rox is literally studying this shit, so she’s come to write something spesh for us. Welcome her with a big SYSCA hug please!

Luce xx

Is Delulu Really the Solulu?

If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably seen it: people are proclaiming that “delulu”(delusion) is the “solulu” (solution) - the secret ingredient for self-confidence and achieving your dreams. Across Gen-Z self-help communities, being a little "delusional" has become a trendy technique for manifesting goals. But as society buys into “delulu” as a self-improvement hack, we’re also blurring lines and sensationalizing delusion in ways that don’t acknowledge how profoundly distressing and impairing it can be for those with severe mental illness.

I’m not here to be a total downer though - I do think that appreciating the strengths that come with “flirting with psychosis” provides an opportunity to better understand, destigmatize, support, and even harness neurodiversity. But first, we need to understand the full spectrum of delusion.

Delusions that may come with conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are not just imagination gone wild - they’re often deeply distressing symptoms that impair functioning and are among the hardest symptoms of psychosis to treat. So, how did a clinical symptom of psychosis end up trending at the crossroads of manifestation, spirituality, and self-improvement?

The reality is that delusion and psychosis exist on a spectrum. For some, flirting with the edges of reality can unlock creativity and innovation, without crossing into full psychosis. Celebrities like Pharrell Williams have even credited a “tablespoon of delusion” as part of their success story and creative process. Yet for those living within the spectrum of psychotic disorders, the line between imagination and impairment is not one they usually get to control. For them, delusion is not a “secret sauce”- it’s an unshakable burden.

Historically, psychiatric illnesses, especially severe ones like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia that can lead to delusional thinking, rarely get positive press. Yet many people with bipolar disorder have achieved incredible things. Countless artists have found their creativity enhanced by the intense highs and lows of bipolar illness. World leaders who are believed to have had mood disorders including depression or mania, like MLK, Gandhi, JFK, and Abraham Lincoln, were equipped with enhanced decision-making, resilience, and empathy because of their unique minds (see “A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness” for more). But we can't separate the illness from the person like a surgeon might remove a tumor; psychiatric illness shapes the fabric of a person’s mind, and the stigma surrounding mental illness often stops society from appreciating its nuances.

While conversations about depression, anxiety, and ADHD have become more common, we still rarely hear from people with severe mental illnesses like bipolar or schizophrenia. One exception is Elyn Saks, a USC law professor with schizophrenia who wrote “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Into Madness.” Her written account of psychosis opened doors for understanding. So many others living with psychosis, however, are left isolated, homeless, or unemployed, in ways we rarely see with physical disabilities.

So as “delulu” continues to trend, I urge seekers of self-discovery to remember what “delusion” means for many struggling with severe mental illness. Let’s not trivialize the symptom or use it without respecting the razor-thin line between enhanced creativity and profound impairment. May society learn to honor the unique gifts that neurodiversity brings to our world and find and create places where people with different minds can thrive. May we recognize the spectrum of mental illness as a devastating challenge at its worst, and a unique superpower at its best.

---

Who wrote this?

Roxana Ghadimi is a fourth-year medical student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine pursuing a career in psychiatry. She is passionate about bridging traditional psychiatry with holistic wellness to guide people towards optimizing their mental health and unlocking their highest potential. Rox is especially interested in women’s mental health and geeks out over all things spirituality and holistic health (think Reiki, EFT tapping, mystical poetry, breath work, and ancient wisdom traditions). Find more of her on insta at @healthwithrox.