What Is Paranoia? 5 Signs That Your Paranoid Ideas Indicate A Disorder
Do you think you are a very distrustful person? Do you constantly have paranoid ideas? Discover if your paranoias are a symptom of a mental disorder and how to treat them.
A person with paranoia He usually thinks and feels that there is a latent threat around him even though there is no evidence to indicate it. A paranoid person may also be exaggeratedly suspicious of others.
Although many of us may have certain paranoid ideas When paranoia is constant in our lives, it can be a sign that there is a problem related to our mental health. So, why do paranoias arise?
In psychology when we talk about meaning of paranoia We are referring to a pattern of thinking that leads to distrust and irrational beliefs towards other people. Paranoia can range from a slight feeling of discomfort to a recurring and intense thought that creates distress in the person who suffers from it.
As we have said, on some occasions, where we experience bad moments or excess stress, it is normal to have a temporary paranoia. In fact, the term is used paranoid or paranoid to describe these types of subtle concerns in our daily lives or to distrustful people.
On the contrary, when the paranoia They are very recurrent, this can be a sign that there is a mental disorder such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or paranoid personality disorder.
Symptoms of paranoia
On occasion, everyone can have a slight paranoid delusion But when paranoia is persistent, these types of thoughts can interfere with all areas of a person’s life. Therefore, it is important to look at the following signs.
Stress or anxiety: In many cases, people who suffer from paranoia and its symptoms They usually experience a lot of stress or anxiety due to their paranoid ideas.
Distrust: Normally those who suffer from paranoia They are usually described as distrustful people since they tend to be very suspicious of others due to these types of delusions.
Feeling of incomprehension: When a person has paranoid ideas It is normal for others to deny these thoughts. For this reason, they often feel misunderstood by others. For this reason, they often feel emotional loneliness due to this feeling of incomprehension.
Sensation of threat: The paranoia It causes people who suffer from it to live on constant alert, which causes them to feel threatened in everyday situations.
Isolation: Because those who suffer from paranoia They tend to be distrustful of others, and they can end up isolated in both personal and work relationships. This is because they feel that others may be conspiring to harm them both physically and emotionally.
These are some of the symptoms that a paranoid person may experience. If you feel identified with this type of behavior, perhaps it is because you suffer from paranoia In these cases, it is important that you consult a professional psychologist.
What are paranoid ideas like?
The distrust and paranoid delusion It manifests itself in a very different way for everyone. Even so, there are some common themes within the paranoid ideas that people have when they suffer from these types of delusions. Among these, we can highlight the following.
You think someone could rob you, hurt you, or kill you.
You feel like everyone is staring at you and/or talking about you.
You believe that people are deliberately trying to exclude you or make you feel bad.
You believe that the government, an organization, or an individual is spying on you or following you.
You interpret certain facial gestures as some kind of inside joke that’s all about you.
You think people laugh at you or whisper about you behind your back. This paranoid delusion can be accompanied by hallucinations.
Causes of paranoia
The causes behind the paranoia are not clear. Still, research suggests that there are certain mental illnesses that can predispose someone to suffer from paranoia. In addition, there are some triggering factors in the person’s life that could influence the appearance of paranoia and its symptoms, such as the following.
Alzheimer’s
Drug addiction
Genetics (family history)
Insomnia
Social isolation
Stress or trauma
What can indicate suffering from paranoia?
As we have mentioned, paranoia It is usually associated with a series of mental disorders. Among the most common we find the following.
A paranoid delusion can arise as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. In these cases, the paranoid ideas They are usually temporary and are closely related to the stress experienced with this condition.
Bipolar disorder
When a person suffers from bipolar disorder, they may experience paranoia during manic or depressive episode. Despite this, this symptom does not have to arise when bipolarity is diagnosed.
Psychotic disorder
Paranoia can also be a sign of a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Furthermore, people with this type of delusions They also usually present disordered thinking (ideas that jump between unrelated topics) and hallucinations.
Paranoid personality disorder
When paranoia is not associated with another mental disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder is diagnosed. In these cases, the characteristics of a paranoid person They tend to be mainly distrust and suspicion. In fact, those with a paranoid personality tend to see others as malevolent.
Paranoia: Treatment
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the psychologist or psychiatrist will recommend both medications and psychotherapy or a combination of the two. In the event that you or someone around you has paranoia, it is vital to consult with a professional psychologist. Normally during therapy the following actions are performed to help a paranoid person
Accept your vulnerability: It is important that someone who knows they have paranoid ideas Be aware that you have this problem. Therefore, accepting it is the first step to being able to learn certain coping strategies.
Increase your self-esteem: Self-esteem is one of the pillars that can be affected due to the paranoia
Develop trust in others: The distrustful people Not only do they harm their loved ones but they also harm themselves by isolating themselves from others. When someone suffers from paranoia, treatment also focuses on trying to increase trust towards others.
Emotional management: the people with paranoia They must learn to express and manage emotions in a positive way to be able to face their paranoid ideas.
When someone suffers from paranoia You may end up feeling very attached to the negative ideas that wander through your mind. For this reason, it is important to go to a psychologist to be able to stop the consequences of these types of delusions. Sometimes our thoughts can go against us.
