Paranoia

The term paranoia was first coined by Emil Kraepelin to describe a persons delusional beliefs. Paranoia comes from Greek and originally means madness. Kraeplin originally had two types of paranoia, pure paranoia and dementia praecox. Dementia praecox was later renamed schizophrenia and pure paranoia became delusional disorder.

Paranoia is a term used by mental health specialists to describe suspiciousness (or mistrust) that is either highly exaggerated or not warranted at all. The word is often used in everyday conversation, often in anger, often incorrectly. Simple suspiciousness is not paranoia--not if it is based on past experience or expectations learned from the experience of others. Paranoia has a psychotic part and a non psychotic part. It is split between in paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder. Paranoia is not limited to those disorders with paranoia in the name. Rawlings and Freeman note there are at least five mental disorders that contain paranoia constructs in the DSM-IV.

Paranoid Personality Disorder is identified by its many symptoms. Paranoid Personality Disorder’s symptoms include excessive sensitivity to setbacks, unwillingness to forgive perceived insults, suspiciousness, inclination to distort experience by interpreting neutral actions as hostile, suspiciousness of sexual infidelity of partners, a combative and tenacious adherence to personal rights and a excessive sense of self importance and self reference. A collection of these will lead to a diagnosis of Paranoid Personality Disorder. Paranoid Personality Disorder can be tracked through early childhood. Paranoid Personality Disorder may first appear in childhood and adolescence with solitariness, poor peer relationships, hypersensitivity, peculiar thoughts, and idiosyncratic fantasies.

People with Paranoid Personality Disorder have a few shared beliefs. They are that disaster is on the horizon, the world is full of enemies, accidents are doubtful, negative events are always pre-meditated, they are never to blame, and people with Paranoid Personality Disorder have an advanced insight in to human interaction. Individuals with Paranoid Personality Disorder believe that others will exploit, harm or deceive them; they are preoccupied with doubts about the loyalty of others. These individuals are consumed with their mistrust of others and their anticipation of the betrayal.

The next type of paranoia is Delusional Paranoid Disorder. This is much more debilitating than simple Paranoid Personality Disorder. It is marked by the presence of a persistent, nonbizarre delusion without symptoms of any other mental disorder. “The most common delusion in delusional disorder is that of persecution. While persons with paranoid personality might suspect their colleagues of joking at their expense, persons with delusional disorder may suspect others of participating in elaborate master plots to persecute them. They believe that they are being poisoned, drugged, spied upon, or are the targets of conspiracies to ruin their reputations or even to kill them. They sometimes engage in litigation in an attempt to redress imagined injustices.” DPD becomes very problematic as the case advances leaving families and friends torn over their delusional acquaintance.

The last type of paranoia is Paranoid Schizophrenia. Individuals with paranoid schizophrenia commonly have extremely bizarre delusions or hallucinations, almost always on a specific theme. The paranoia not only affects their social life but also their mental health and intelligence. This is the main psychotic form of paranoia.

The possible causes of paranoia are thought to be a conglomerate of various causes. Psychologists believe that there are three main possible causes of paranoia. They are Genetics, Biochemistry, and Stress. Scientists have found that the families of paranoid patients do not have higher than normal rates of either schizophrenia or depression. However, there is some evidence that paranoid symptoms in schizophrenia may be genetically influenced. Some studies have shown that when one twin of a pair of identical twins with schizophrenia has paranoid symptoms, the other twin usually does also. And, recent research has suggested that paranoid disorders are significantly more common in relatives of persons with schizophrenia than in the general population. Whether paranoid disorder -- or a predisposition to it -- is inherited is not yet known. Abuse of drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, PCP, LSD, or other stimulants or "psychedelic" compounds may lead to symptoms of paranoid thinking or behavior. Patients with major mental disorders like paranoid schizophrenia may have their symptoms become worse under the influence of these drugs. Scientists are studying the biochemical actions of such drugs to determine