A common delusion among people with schizophrenia is that people on TV are talking directly to them. Another is that they are the target of investigation by the NSA, FBI, KGB, or Secret Service. One patient said he saw a stop sign, and thought it was a message from his mother telling him to stop looking at women. Another patient saw a red car parked outside her apartment on Valentine’s Day, and believed it was a message of love from her psychiatrist. Even people who have never been psychotic might learn to attach salience to things that appear unimportant to others, such as black cats or the
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