26th April 2024

A 29-year-old man, unemployed for the last year, has been increasingly isolating himself in his room.

A 29-year-old man, unemployed for the last year, has been increasingly isolating himself in his room. His family reports that he often talks to himself and laughs without apparent reason. He believes he is receiving secret messages through television news broadcasts instructing him to prepare for an upcoming world-changing event. He insists that an external force is controlling his thoughts and becomes agitated when family members try to reason with him. There is no history of drug abuse, and his medical history is unremarkable. He has had no significant mood symptoms.

Which is the most likely diagnosis?