What characterizes mood episodes with mood-incongruent psychotic features?

Mood episodes with mood-incongruent psychotic features are characterized by delusions or hallucinations that do not align with the individual's mood state. For example, grandiose delusions during depression would be considered mood-incongruent because such inflated beliefs about oneself typically do not occur during depressive episodes, which typically involve feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness.

Grandiose delusions, which involve an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance, power, or identity, are more commonly associated with manic episodes rather than depressive ones. Therefore, when such delusions occur during a depressive episode, they signify a level of psychotic symptomatology that is not congruent with the underlying mood disorder. This distinction helps in diagnosing and formulating appropriate treatment plans, as mood-incongruent features often indicate a more severe form of the disorder.

In contrast, nihilistic delusions are beliefs that one is dead or nonexistent, which are more fitting within a depressive context. Grandiose delusions are not characteristic of depressive episodes at all, and nihilistic delusions appearing during mania wouldn't typically be classified as mood-incongruent given the elevated mood and activity levels present in manic states.