Presented by BetterHelp.
We throw the word ‘paranoia’ around quite often in popular culture. You may hear statements like “Stop being so paranoid!” While paranoia can be a brief state of anxious fear, it might also be a symptom of a much more challenging mental health disorder.
Paranoia most commonly shows up with those who have schizophrenia, delusional disorders, and other personality disorders with psychotic elements at play. Feeling paranoid is a very distressing thing for the person experiencing it and everyone around them.
Let’s talk about what exactly paranoia is, what causes it, and the most common signs and symptoms of paranoia. If persistent, paranoia can be a big challenge to work through, but with the help of therapy and medication it can often be managed. Read on to learn more.
What is Paranoia?
Paranoia is characterized by delusional states, and the irrational fear that someone is out to get you. Someone who feels paranoid may be fixated on their anxious thoughts and delusions, believing they are true even if these delusions have no grounding in reality. These fears usually revolve around feeling attacked, persecuted, threatened, or followed by outside forces. These “outside forces” may or may not even exist.
It’s important to know the difference between infrequent bouts of paranoia and persistent, multi-symptom paranoia. Interestingly enough, one study from 2013 found that up to 30% of the general population experiences paranoia. There are life factors that may make us more susceptible to feeling paranoid every once in a while.
But if the paranoia is persistent and accompanied by delusions and other symptoms that interfere with basic functioning in life, there may be a more serious mental disorder at play. Paranoid individuals often exhibit aggression or defensiveness, personal inflexibility, and extreme mistrust of others. It’s important to address the symptoms of paranoia, especially when they become persistent.
What Causes Paranoia?
The exact cause of what makes someone paranoid is not quite known. Psychologists believe it is likely a combination of genetics, environment and past trauma, and brain chemistry that makes them susceptible.
Certain lifestyle habits and diseases are also known to be risk factors of experiencing some symptoms of paranoia. For example, a consistent lack of sleep, chronic stress, or drug use may cause symptoms of paranoia. Also, neurodegenerative diseases like Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease can cause paranoia.
When paranoia is pervasive, it can often be attributed to the presence of a mental disorder. The most common mental illnesses that cause paranoia include:
- Delusional disorder. People with a paranoid delusion have a fixed, unusual belief about something that isn’t true or has no evidence of being true. They will often be convinced of a conspiracy, or that someone is about to harm them.
- Paranoid schizophrenia. This disorder makes it difficult for those living with it to be grounded in reality. Those with schizophrenia typically have hallucinations and paranoid delusions, and often feel confused and unmotivated.
- Paranoid personality disorder. People with this uncommon disorder struggle to trust other people, and generally believe others are trying to deceive or take advantage of them. They may come across as cold, combative, or secretive.
- Mood disorders. Mood disorders like bipolar disorder often cause paranoia.
Common Symptoms of Paranoia
Listed below are many of the symptoms of paranoia. Someone who experiences paranoia will certainly not exhibit every single one of these. But if there are multiple occurring at once, this indicates the presence of an undiagnosed mental health disorder.
If this is the case for you or someone you love, you are encouraged to consult with a psychologist or psychiatrist to address it as soon as possible. Read about paranoia here to learn more and feel informed.
Low Self-Esteem
Paranoia is found to be linked to the presence of low self-esteem and even self-loathing. While it’s hard to know if the chicken came before the egg in this case, low self-esteem may be a precursor to the presence of paranoia. Take note of whether a struggle with low self-esteem comes along with some of these other symptoms.
Delusions
Delusions are often characteristic of paranoia and paranoid mental disorders like schizophrenia. A delusion is the false belief in a reality that doesn’t exist, or has no evidence of existing. There are various categories of delusions that might develop.
Delusions of grandeur are when a person believes they have special powers, infinite wealth, or magical abilities. Delusions of control are when a person believes some vague outside force (i.e., the government, aliens, ghosts) is attempting to control them.
And delusions of persecution have someone convinced they are being persecuted for something that may or may not even apply to them. For example, someone may think they are being hunted down because they forgot to pay for something in their shopping cart.
Stubbornness & Hypersensitivity to Criticism
Many people living with persistent paranoia exhibit inflexible personalities. They seem to be extremely rooted in their personal and ethical beliefs, and it will be really hard to sway them or change their minds.
In addition, people who are paranoid will show hypersensitivity to any perceived criticism. Comments about their behaviors, speech, appearance, or work will be met with defensiveness. These individuals are sensitive to feeling attacked, pursued, and controlled, so any perceived criticism may be experienced by them as an attack.
Irrational Suspicions & Mistrust of Others
Similar in nature to delusions, a major symptom of paranoia is an irrational suspicion of someone or something. The person experiencing paranoia may think someone walking far behind them is chasing them or means to harm them.
They may struggle to trust anyone, even those they have close relationships with. This can make it very challenging for those with paranoid disorders to establish long-term connections. They tend to mistrust easily, assuming they’re being taken advantage of or meant harm.
What To Do About It: Treatment
Pervasive paranoia is a very challenging set of symptoms to tackle, especially since it is usually caused by a separate mental health disorder. If this is possibly the case, you’ll want to consult with a psychiatrist or psychologist for evaluation.
Paranoia is usually treated with psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy. It may also require medication to manage. And it’s essential that those living with chronic paranoia establish a supportive, trusting relationship with a mental health professional.
Photo by Liza Summer
