Have you ever felt threatened, like you are in some kind of danger, or simply nervous about certain things that have turned out to be amusingly insignificant in the end? In most cases, this can be defined as none other than paranoia - a personality disorder in which exaggerated fears affect someone. For some people, paranoia can be experienced lightly. For example, you once hear a group of people talk about you, and after said event you assume every laugh or heated conversation that they have is about you. This is totally freaky to some people, but no one really gives it much thought! There are three main types of paranoia, those being:
Paranoid personality disorder- considered the mildest form, people can live with
this disorder without even knowing that they have it. They see the paranoic
assumptions that they make as normal, or typical for their age. Hence the example in
the first paragraph, which is something many teenagers do!
Delusional (paranoid) disorder- when the person’s paranoid delusion dominates
their way of thinking, without signs of any other mental illness. Some people, for
example, insist on saying that they have a certain disease, despite reassurances from
doctors. Some even claim that they are dating famous celebrities they haven’t met!
Paranoid schizophrenia- considered the most severe form, people suffering from this
personality disorder experience hallucinations, incoherent speech, and very strange
delusions, like their neighbors spying on them, or their coworker planning on
poisoning them. This can lead to them cutting all contact with the outside world
almost completely.
Because of the difficulty imposed by paranoia, people choose to treat their condition through therapy. Many say that it can easily be combatted, when it is actually quite the opposite: getting paranoid people to trust you is, in effect, a rather sophisticated process. That is because the central defining feature of paranoia consists of two elements, which both make socializing and trusting people very tricky:
1. The impending belief that harm will occur.
2. An attribution that others mean this harm.
These can vary from mild concerns about others’ intentions, to extremely pressing delusions that take control over your social and daily life. When it comes to the less serious forms of paranoia, up to a third of us actually experience it at some point in our lives - that’s called non-clinical paranoia.
On balance, contrary to popular assumptions, paranoia does NOT consist in false beliefs - those characterize schizophrenia, while paranoia is characterized by fear. Only in the case of paranoic schizophrenia do these two combine, when fear and hallucinations hold hands.
All in all, paranoia is a widely discussed subject: it can vary from person to person, and most of us experience it one way or another. It is, of course, very important to speak your mind, and to not let your thoughts consume you - writing them down or telling a friend can make a huge difference! Try to track your paranoid fear down- most of them originate from anxieties about real situations, and don’t dismiss your fear. What you feel is important, and validating your feelings and trying to justify them is key!
Bibliography:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-
problems/paranoia/about-paranoia/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/paranoia#three-main-
types-of-paranoia
https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-paranoia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6420131/
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/paranoid-personality-disorder/paranoid-
personality-myths/
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