How Do You Know If You Have Persecution Mania? 5 Symptoms To Identify It

What is persecution mania? Why do we suffer from persecution paranoia? Discover the most common causes and symptoms of this type of thoughts.

What is persecution mania?

People who experience persecution mania They usually have the belief that there is someone or a group of people who want to harm them. These types of thoughts are believed to such an extent that people can think it even though there is not a single proof that something like this can happen. Mania or persecutory delirium is a type of paranoia that is related to disorders such as schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress.

What is persecution mania?

The persecutory manias They are false convictions in which people who suffer from them believe that there is an individual or several individuals who are conspiring to harm them. So much so that this persecutory paranoia ends up making people believe that there is an imminent danger in their lives, which causes them to have many difficulties in their daily lives.

While many people may experience false beliefs about other people, when a person suffers from a persecution mania These thoughts harm your life in many ways. In fact, those who suffer from the symptoms of this paranoia often suffer from a mental health disorder that requires the help of a psychology professional,

Symptoms of persecutory paranoia

The most characteristic of the persecution mania is that people believe that others intend to harm them or cause them emotional pain. Typically, this belief is based on strange and irrational reasoning, which affects the way a person behaves and thinks. In this way, a persecutory delusion can end up causing the following symptoms:

  • Fear everyday situations
  • Feeling threatened for no reason
  • Extreme distress
  • Excess worry
  • Constantly look for a ‘safe’ place
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In most cases of a persecutory paranoia people reason them through unrealistic thoughts and ideas.

Examples of persecutory delusions

People who suffer from persecution mania You might have thoughts similar to these:

  • “My coworkers are hacking my email and trying to get me fired”
  • “The neighbors are planning to steal my car”
  • “The postman is spying on my house because he wants to hurt me”

In the event that it is a persecutory paranoia the person will believe in these ideas so much that they will say them as if they were irrefutable facts.

Examples of persecutory paranoia

What causes persecutory delirium?

People who experience the persecutory manias They usually have several factors in common in the way they think, feel and behave. However, there is not enough evidence to show that these common factors cause persecutory delusions. Even so, there are many cases in which people with persecution paranoia identify with these characteristics.

  1. Worry and rumination: People who feel this type of paranoia and its symptoms usually spend a lot of their time thinking about worries. Various studies have found that the rate of worry experienced by people with persecution mania It is similar to that suffered with anxiety disorders.
  2. Negative thoughts: Low self-esteem as well as negative thoughts about oneself are also one of the characteristics of those who suffer from persecutory delusions, according to research.
  3. Interpersonal sensitivity: The studies reflected that individuals with persecutory manias They also tended to be people with high emotional and interpersonal sensitivity, which meant that they felt more vulnerable in social environments.
  4. Abnormal internal experiences: Some research suggests that people with a persecutory delirium They may misinterpret external events because you are experiencing an unstable internal state. For example, when faced with feelings of anxiety, people with persecution mania may think that someone is spying on them.
  5. Insomnia: According to studies on the matter, people with persecutory paranoia They may be more likely to develop these ideas because they suffer from insomnia.
  6. Irrational reasoning: It has also been shown that people with a persecution mania They are often more likely to jump to conclusions and make impulsive decisions.
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What causes delusions of persecution?

A persecution mania It can appear due to various mental illnesses. Among the most common are the following:

  • Schizophrenia: The persecutory paranoia may indicate a schizophrenic disorder. This is characterized by having a distorted sense of reality that implies suffering from hallucinations and delusions.
  • Bipolar disorder: He persecutory delirium It can also occur as a symptom of bipolar disorder. People with this condition often experience extreme emotional changes.
  • Schizoaffective disorder: This disorder involves having symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder. People with this type of disorder often experience persecutory manias
  • Major depressive disorder with psychotic features: Additionally, another disorder that may present symptoms of persecutory manias It’s depression.
  • delusional disorder: When a person has delusions that cannot be explained by a mental illness, they are diagnosed with a delusional disorder. In these cases, the person may experience various types of delusions.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder: This disorder occurs when a person experiences a traumatic event. Among the most common symptoms, fear and stress are usually present, but in some cases you can also suffer from persecution mania

How to deal with persecution mania?

How to help someone with persecution paranoia?

If someone around you suffers from persecutory paranoia, it is important that you help him go to a mental psychology consultation. In addition to this, you can also take into account the following tips.

  • Listen: It is important that the person feels comfortable with you to relate their ideas related to the persecutory manias
  • Avoid supporting or debating their delusions: By disputing the erroneous ideas or beliefs behind a persecutory paranoia or agreeing with them can be counterproductive in these cases.
  • Redirect the situation: Instead of supporting or debating his persecutory delirium Try to share a different point of view. These types of ideas should be explained as your opinion of what can really happen.
  • Provide your support: Try not to make value judgments about the persecutory manias that the person is explaining to you. In addition, you should also let them know that you can help them with whatever they need.
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The persecution mania It is a belief so convincing for the person who suffers from it that it can interfere in all areas of their life. Therefore, people who suffer from it should go to a professional psychologist as soon as possible.