Paranoia - Awareness
I have thought that the posters on my wall were real and that they laughed at me or thought that I am fat and stupid and that people outside whenever I pass to or more people I know they are talking about me, I only have to here a laugh or a bit of conversation and I think its about me, its especially worse at this time of year when more people are out and about. ~ Liz, Germany
I always seem paranoid. I think when i hear people laughing, that they are laughing about me and slagging me off. The television, radio, books, mags all are disclosing personal information about me, like reading my mind. When i cant find something in my home i always think my friends or mother have stolen from me. I hate talking in groups because i think i am being judged by everyone. ~ Paul, Wales
I always feel like people are plotting against me and that people are staring at me . I jump at the slightest knock on the door, or some thing thats outside . I'm constantly looking out of my window, and I only feel commfortable on my own or with a selected number of friends, which isn't many ~ Gee, UK
Sometimes we all had these type of thoughts when we feel nervousness in a situation, it's quite common to feel like this isn't it. The problem arises when we start getting these type of thoughts more often and believing the whole world is against us. Many members had repeatedly asked about this paranoia in the 7cups too, we can find them here, here,here, also here, here too and here
Have you ever had they type of thoughts or found closed one feeling like these, then you must have a look on this which explains the underlying reasons of this behavior, how an individual can overcome it, where to find support and how is this treated !!!
What paranoia is?
Paranoia is an irrational and persistent state of mind in which a person believes that others are trying to harm them or bring them down either mentally or physically. It could be a feeling of being watched, followed or monitored in some way, or it might be a belief that there is some kind of conspiracy operating against them. Paranoid thoughts can also be described as persecutory delusions. A delusion is a fixed, false belief that someone continues to hold on even when there is not any existence or evidence that the belief is true. Paranoid symptoms can range from a general feeling of wariness and suspicion of others through to eccentric and complicated beliefs such as conspiracy theories about the government, police or aliens. Paranoid people sometimes have an increased sense of self- importance, believing that many others are observing their actions when it is not true.
Mild paranoid thoughts are quite common in the normal human population and tend to recover naturally. Long-term paranoia can be an indication of a mental disorder or be caused by drug abuse, dementia or other medical conditions that adversely affect the brain.
Paranoia is associated broadly with three major conditions:
Paranoid personality disorder – considered the mildest type. Most people with paranoid personality disorder function well in spite of their distrust of the world. The attitudes and behaviors associated with paranoia, when they become noticeable, are often found to have been present for much in the persons life.
Delusional (paranoid) disorder – marked by the dominance of ones false belief without any other significant symptom of mental illness, and they remain sensible and reasonable. For an example, a person who has a delusion of persecution believes that other people are spying on them or planning to harm them in some way. In another case, a person despite repeated reassurance from doctors or therapists may believe they have a terrible illness.
Paranoid schizophrenia – considered the most critical type. It means a persons mind doesn't agree with reality. It affects how they think and behave. It is marked by strange delusions, such as believing that ones thoughts are being broadcast over the radio or people are hearing their thoughts. Hallucinations, especially bizarre ones, are also common to the condition. A person with paranoid schizophrenia often finds the world perplexed and functions poorly without treatment.
How common is this paranoia?
Following two researches conducted at two different periods and in two different environment will reveal that the paranoia is indeed becoming a widespread phenomenon in this era.
According to the interview of 1200 people at Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London 
Over 40% of people routinely worry that negative comments are being made about them
27% think that people intentionally try to irritate them
20% worry about being observed or followed
10% think that someone has it in for them
5% worry that there is a conspiracy to harm them
And according to the psychological investigation of the structure of paranoia in a non-clinical population conducted by Daniel Freeman in 2005
Frequency of paranoid thoughts in a student sample (n = 1202)
What causes the paranoia?
It's likely to be a combination of things as no one knows exactly what causes paranoia. There are lots of theories, researches and different people will have different explanations for their own experiences.
After a lot of research being carried out to find the factors behind this, researchers have identified some general risk factors – these are things that could make paranoid thoughts more likely.
Having confusing, unsettling experiences, or feelings that people can't easily explain.
The way one feels – if people are anxious, worries a lot, have low self-esteem and expect others to criticize or reject them.
The way one thinks – if people tend to come to conclusions quickly, believe things very strongly and don't easily change their mind.
If they are isolated.
If they have experienced trauma in the past.
There are also many peculiar things that may play a key role in causing paranoid thoughts. For example, taking drugs or lack of sleep might make them have more confusing or unsettling experiences. They are listed below :
Life experiences: People often experience paranoid thoughts when they are isolated, vulnerable or in stressful circumstances. These situations lead them to negative feelings. They get suspicious thoughts which could develop in paranoia if their home is burgled or they are bullied at work.
Experiences in their childhood may lead them to believe that the world is unsafe or make them mistrustful and suspicious of others. They may also affect their self-esteem and the way they think as an adult.
Mental health: If the person experiences anxiety, depression or low self-esteem, they may be more likely to experience paranoid thoughts – or be more upset by them. This may be because they are more on edge, worry a lot or are more likely to interpret things in a negative way. Many people have been found to experience paranoid delusions as part of an episode of psychosis.
Physical illness: Huntingtons disease, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease also results in the paranoia. Strokes, hearing loss and other forms of dementia had also been seen to trigger the paranoid thoughts in some people
The effects of drugs and alcohol: Drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy and LSD can also results in triggering paranoia. Certain steroids taken by athletes and weightlifters are also found in leading to symptoms of paranoia.
Dementia: It is a broad description which includes several, distinguished signs including word-finding difficulties, memory loss, impaired judgment, and problems with daily routine activities, which are caused by injury or loss of brain cells (neurons), often resulting in having hallucinations and paranoia.
Lack of sleep: Lack of sleep can trigger feelings of precariousness and even disturbing feelings and hallucinations. Fears and worries generally develop late at night.
Genetics: Research has suggested that the genes of people may affect whether they are more likely to develop paranoia – but there isnt much evidence to detect which ones
What it feels to have paranoia?
Often, people with paranoid personality disorder dont believe that their behavior is isolated and abnormal. It may seem completely rational to a person with paranoia personality disorder to be suspicious of others. However, those around them may believe that this distrust is groundless and offensive. The person with this disorder may behave in an antagonistic or stubborn manner. They may be sarcastic, which often induces a hostile response from other people, which may rather fuel their original suspicions.
Someone with paranoia may have other conditions that can feed into their disorder. For example, depression and anxiety can affect a persons mood. Mood changes can make someone with paranoia more likely to feel stressed and isolated.
It also have many other symptoms which includes:
being quick to become angry and hostile and believing that others have hidden motives or are out to harm them
being argumentative, defensive and hypersensitive to criticism
believing that others have hidden motives or are out to harm them
having trouble working with others and in relaxing
becoming detached, socially isolated and doubting the loyalty of others
having trouble seeing their own problems
Some symptoms of Paranoia can seem to be similar to symptoms of other disorders. Schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder are two disorders with symptoms similar to this. It can be difficult to clearly diagnose these disorders.
How can I help myself to overcome it?
Paranoia can be controlled and overcame by having healthy habits such as
by avoiding alcohols and drugs as much as possible
having adequate amount of sleep in night
practicing mindfulness
enhancing self-acceptance
learning to manage anger
learning to trust again
challenging suspicious thoughts
How paranoia is treated?
Treating paranoia with therapy often seems to be challenging because the individual experiencing paranoia may find it difficult to trust the therapist treatment, believe his prescription, or share his fears. In some cases, an individual dealing with paranoia may imagine the therapist is part of the menace; in other cases, an individual may not realize the extent to which paranoia has an effect on daily life, both of which may create hindrance to the treatment.
Depending on the extremity of an individual's paranoia, medication may be prescribed along with therapy. Individuals who are dealing with paranoia typically work to develop coping and relaxation skills in therapy, along with social skills that enable them to express fears in a more relatable manner.
In order to achieve success in therapy, an individual challenged by paranoia must first believe that the therapist is there to provide help, not to harm. For this reason, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is frequently used to treat paranoia, because this type of therapy allows both the therapist and person in therapy to examine and observe any significant behaviors associated with paranoid behavior and thinking. In some instances, it has been seen that art therapies and support groups help in treating paranoid thinking. Acupuncture, massages, and hypnotherapy have all been known for reducing anxiety and other distressing feelings that occur to individuals experiencing paranoia.
Where to find support / become support to people facing this?
There are many support groups available for people experiencing paranoia where they can share their stories with people who had undergone and faced all the similar things. These often come handy in acting as encouragement, motivation and feeling not alone.
Few most popular groups are (the links a
re embeded in the names)
Discussions:
How has this article made you feel? Do you think you have better understanding of paranoia now?
Had you ever experienced paranoia before, if yes; how did you able to cope it? Did you have any support systems during that time?
How will you provide support if you find your friend or family members are having these thoughts ?
References:
Carroll, A. Are you looking at me? Understanding and managing paranoid personality disorder. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 20, 40-48. Retrieved fromhttps://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/1/40.full
Martel, J. (2012, July 10). Paranoid Personality Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/paranoid-personality-disorder
Mental Health Letter-Paranoia and Paranoid Disorders. The Harvard Medical School Mental Health Letter. 74 Fenwood Rd, Boston MA 02115. Retrieved from https://mhalc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Paranoia-and-Paranoid-Disorders.pdf
Nordqvist, C. (2015, May 27). Paranoid Schizophrenia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192621.php
The examples of paranoid thoughts are taken from https://www.paranoidthoughts.com/accounts.php
This is just superb!!! Very interesting to read with all the diagrams and so well organized adn informative :) Way to go!!
@tinugeorge
My pleasure to do it, I am glad you found this informative @Nyssa2506 
In this case, I do not agree. I often smoke cannabis and I still have not become paranoid. Cannabis has many positive aspects, including an improvement in mood and appetite. And the side effects are mostly skuldyvayutsya of memory deterioration with constant use. Even in alcohol, with constant use of side effects more. As the article says "Marijuana causes short-term memory deficits. This naturally affects long-term memory and learning because it intervenes in memory formation. However, a 2001 study done at Harvard University on the long term effects of smoking cannabis and other forms of marijuana usage discovered no significant long-term effects on memory. While chronic users had mild chronic memory and learning difficulty, especially in verbal memory, and continued to have difficulty for up to two weeks after abstinence, users appeared normal and no different than non-users within one month. In other words, short-term memory and learning deficits can become chronic if heavy marijuana use continues, but marijuana may cause no permanent damage. The user misses information the first time around, rather than becoming unable to remember it when sober. Other cognitive measures such as reaction time and reasoning ability were not affected." so freedom for cannabis 
@tinugeorge This is such a good read. I learned so much more now.
@Goldcherry2113 I am glad you found it helpful :)
@tinugeorge Bc of this I just realized why I don't like my mother. I am always scared that she wanna harm me in some way, and at the same time I'm scared of hurting her. Damn paranoia...
@TheMadHatterWasHere I am glad that you found this helpful. Paranoia itself is frightening to experience, maybe even another side of fear. I am sorry that you experience upsetting thoughts about your mom. It can be quite overwhelming to have paranoid thoughts about people who are meant to be supportive towards us
@hillsideblues It's not like I am exactly scared of her. It's more like... I'm scared of being close to and with her, bc I have a feeling that she will hurt me. Mostly mentally but sometimes also pchysically :S
@TheMadHatterWasHere That can definitely be really hard emotions to go through *leaving hugs if that is ok*
@hillsideblues Thank you *hugs back*
@tinugeorge
This article made me feel ironically parinoid. I definetly have a better understanding of paranoia.
I've experienced a lot of parinoia as a kid and as an adult. As a kid, I'd lock myself in my room, only leaving to pee or grab food. Peeking out through the blinds. Hiding when someone knocked at the door or drove past my house. I either avoided people or did whatever they'd tell me to do so they wouldn't hurt me. Later and now as an adult I challenge though thoughts by looking at the end of my bed or behind the door instead of staying up all night silently crying that there is someone in my room. I like to ask myself, is the dog barking? If there was someone here my dog would notice. I get the challenging thoughts to THAT though like, maybe the guy in here has made himself familar with my dog so they aren't scared of him. Like the dog is home alone all day when i'm at school hanging out with this guy so ofc she's okay with him laying under my bed. I'd like to say i had support throught my parents but they traveled 2/3rds of the month so when they were home, things were okay but when they were gone I reverted.
I always like to say to others going though things like this, it's okay to be not okay. Then suggest challenging those thoughts. The nerve it takes to GO LOOK is worth the releif of knowing no one is there.
Thank you for this post, I am glad I've found this website and forum. So glad. Thank you again, bye bye.
@hippylonglegs
Hello,
I'm sure we all have our own definition of paranoia. That's okay.
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I understand you've gone through a lot, and that seems very stressful. It's normal to be wanting to feel safe and trapped in one room, we do it to have a sense of security, right? Wanting to be unnoticeable is totally okay. Hiding is a normal though because we'd want to be safe. Wanting to not be hurt is a valid thought, and you'd not be judged for having those thoughts. I know you might have difficulty sleeping, but is there any way you could listen to some classical music? Just because you're an adult doesn't change the fact that you struggle, everyone does, but in different ways. Having a dog is amazing! Do you have a dog currently? If not, you could try getting an emotional service dog. I'm glad you feel safe with your parents, perhaps. Talking with your parents may be a good idea, right? You could maybe text them.
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Ooh, those are good words, we all need to hear, thank you for them!! Yes, it is relief fighting those thoughts and winning.
😊😊
Welcome to 7Cups, glad you're here.
Have a nice night/day, take care.
~Magic
