Suspiciousness or "woe from the mind": how to get rid of increased anxiety? Suspiciousness symptoms

It was a visitor who asked me to write here. And I promised that the next article would be about suspiciousness. I am keeping my promise. But first, I flipped through my sites.

It turns out that I already wrote about this in an article with a long title:. It's about suspiciousness.

But I still surfed the Internet to listen to the authoritative opinion of psychologists. And I found an interesting article with a step-by-step guide to action, which I offer you today.

I will only note that I myself am a rather hypochondriac person. But I am already at such an age that I treat such character traits with a smile, realizing that this is not the worst thing in life ... 🙂

As the article progresses, I will make short remarks, as usual: simple italics.

18 steps to combat suspiciousness

Suspiciousness as a character trait can be quite painful for its owner. Suspiciousness can only get worse with the course of life, or it can, on the contrary, decrease.

Suspiciousness is an increased tendency to have anxious fears for various reasons. Suspicious people are usually full of various anxieties that prevent them from enjoying life. The strongest experiences relate to relationships with loved ones, health, and professional success.

The origins of suspiciousness

Suspiciousness usually arises on the basis of self-doubt, low self-esteem. Painful suspiciousness is a kind of manifestation of a hypertrophied self-preservation instinct.

Many experts rightly believe that the causes of suspiciousness lie in those negative, and often traumatic childhood impressions and experiences, which subsequently grow into neurotic complexes.

Suspiciousness is a heterogeneous concept. It can be an independent character trait, or it can be part of a disorder, for example, obsessive-compulsive disorder, hypochondria, morbid jealousy, delusions of persecution.

Suspiciousness is a common problem, in one way or another
form it affects a third of the population of our planet.

Why fight hypocrisy?

Even the usual, and not pathological, form of suspiciousness causes a lot of inconvenience to its owner. And if you need to fight the latter with the help of specialists: psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, then you can try to eradicate the former yourself.

Suspiciousness not only overshadows a person's life, but also paralyzes his activity, prevents him from achieving success on his path, building a harmonious personal life. There are a number of ways in which you can get rid of the constant feeling of anxiety about your abilities, abilities and health.

Rarely, suspiciousness occurs in such a form that it “paralyzes human activity,” although this also happens. Most often, suspiciousness is mild, transient. Read on to learn how to deal with it.

Fighting suspiciousness: 18 steps to success

Step 1: Practice the Success Skill
Try to develop in yourself the best that helped you cope with difficulties in the past.

Foggy wording. Let's leave it to the author's conscience and read on.

Step 2: Appreciate Your Strengths
Do not focus on your negative (often imaginary) qualities. You need to try to find in yourself that positive thing that distinguishes you from others.

I think that you don't have to focus on yourself at all. You are who you are or who you are. And who cares! 🙂

Step 3: Don't talk bad about yourself
It is undesirable to speak badly about yourself. If you constantly, even jokingly, with minor failures, say: “What can I take from me? I’m a coward (iha) and a bungler!”, then soon, no longer jokingly, you will involuntarily strive to meet this definition.

Often I scold myself, but with love. “Well, what a softie you are,” or something like that. It's harmless and doesn't lead to any consequences.

Step 4: trust your friends
Don't be shy about sharing your fears, doubts, and worries with good, trusted friends. When a person "verbalizes" a problem (that is, expresses it in words), he already partially solves it.

I do not recommend sharing with friends or family. Blow up to the sky. Work on yourself - more benefit and less harm.

Step 5: keep a diary
You can start a diary or notebook in order to record your experiences due to suspiciousness. Could not communicate with the person you are interested in? Try to write down what you felt at that moment: confusion, heartbeat, embarrassment, etc. At first, you will just keep notes. But soon, knowing what can happen to you in a given situation, you will no longer be lost in similar circumstances.

A diary is a good thing, but it takes time. Few people have time for a diary. However, it's worth a try, it's good advice. At least better than with friends.

Step 6: Change Your Habits
Try changing your habits. Not forever, but temporarily. An attempt to change, even in small things (for example, putting on shoes in the morning starting on the other foot than usual), will gradually set you up for the possibility of more serious, profound changes in your attitude to life: you will feel, think, act differently.

Three weeks of doing something every day, and the habit is formed. Checked on myself. Now I simply cannot live without my walking and barbell.

Step 7: Set yourself up for the best
Try to set yourself up. This is a very important skill. For example: “All this day I will be, as far as possible, a joyful and cheerful person! I will definitely smile at least seven times during the day!” (exactly seven times, because this is a lucky number!); “I will give sober, calm, reasonable, adequate reactions to any situation!”; “I will not allow any pessimistic, much less negative assessments of my actions and qualities on this day!”; “I will simply ignore the negative traumatic circumstances!”; “I will definitely try to live this really new day with the belief that success in my life is simply inevitable! Perhaps, to achieve it, you just need to be patient.

Advice for joyful idiots. I hope you are, or you are not.

Step 8: Massage Your Earlobes
In the fight against suspiciousness, physical influence can also be used: if you tend to worry and panic in any significant situation, try pressing on two special points, one of which is located inside the auricle, in the upper part of the ear, and the second is in the middle of the lobe. You can also rub the entire surface of the ears, focusing on the lobes.

Yes, I wrote about it too. You can rub your palms, you can rub your ears. The first method is also calming, the second invigorates. In general, it would be nice to master reflexology, it helps a lot just in everyday life.

Step 9: Make fun of your concerns
Learning to laugh at your fears is not easy. To do this, you can use one trick. Write on separate pieces of paper statements that you do not like about yourself, for example: “I am embarrassed that I immediately blush while talking to strangers”; "I'm worried that my nose (mouth, ears ...) is not like that," etc. Put or pin these notes near the largest mirror in the apartment. While looking at these "paper confessions", try to put on comical mini-performances: laugh at your fears, make faces at yourself in the mirror! Sooner or later, the saturation of your experiences will subside, and you will begin to overcome suspiciousness.

Laughter can do wonders. Reread this paragraph number 9 often.

Step 10: Write down your fears
You can write on a piece of paper everything that you are afraid of because of your suspiciousness. For example: “My heart is tingling, but it’s just nerves, that’s what my doctor told me!” Looking at this recording (it will be better if you make it with colored felt-tip pens), you will gradually begin to get used to the idea that you "have nothing to worry about."

Also good advice. When we write something down, we relieve ourselves of psychological responsibility. And then the sheet is lost ... and nothing happens! 🙂

Step 11: Fall in love with aromatherapy
To combat suspiciousness, you can use aromatherapy. Try putting 1-2 drops of rosemary or vanilla essential oil on your handkerchief. They give self-confidence, relieve the syndrome of shyness and anxiety.

Don't overdo it just to keep your head from spinning. I advise you to change the smells more often, since there are a lot of them. And then it can become addictive.

Step 12: Replace Fear with Pity
If you are afraid of some kind of illness or infection, you can dream up, imagining it as an obsessive guest, skinny, frail and frightened. This will help ease the fear (well, really, how can you be afraid of such a nonentity ?!) or even drive it away.

This also applies to humor, one of the components. Like I said, you can do a lot with laughter!

Step 13: Draw Your Anxiety
Well helps in the fight against suspiciousness drawing. You can try to portray your fears in the form of drawings, funny and ridiculous. They can decorate the walls of the apartment in order to laugh at them plenty.

This is for those who like to draw, not write. But the meaning is the same.

Step 14: Come up with a happy ending
Modeling the situation that you fear as an event with a successful outcome can also help suspicious people. For example, you are afraid of doctors. Imagine that it is not you, but one of your friends or relatives who needs to visit the clinic. Laugh at their worries and fears. And then try to model your own visit to the clinic as a calm and safe event.

This is for creative people, but you can try. Actually, just creative personalities most often suffer from bullshit suspiciousness.

Step 15: Scare... your fear
Usually suspicious people drive their fears and anxieties away from themselves and thus simply drive them inside. Try doing the opposite. For example, at the dentist's office, fearing not so much a toothache as the possibility of catching some kind of infection, say to yourself: “Please, dear fear, come in, do me a favor! What do you have there? Some stupid infection? Bring her here!" Thus, you paralyze not yourself, but your fear.

This is for super creative people. I don't know, haven't tried it, I'm not one of them.

Step 16: Find a Hobby
Try to find an interesting activity or hobby for yourself. This kind of bright and joyful enthusiasm will protect you from many fears for the future.

In other words, relax. A hobby is the best for it. Or call someone just like that, about nothing.

Step 17: Apply Auto-Training
In the fight against suspiciousness, you can "take into service" a special technique of autogenic training - self-hypnosis, proposed even before the "inventor" of this psychotherapeutic technique, Johann Schulz, by the famous poet Maximilian Voloshin.

Rewrite his poem “The Spell” (written back in 1929) with colored felt-tip pens and, hanging it in a conspicuous place, reread it daily, suggesting to yourself everything that is written in it (or even better, learn these lines by heart):

All your organs are working properly:
The course of eternity counts the heart,
Imperishably smoldering lungs, stomach!
The communion of the flesh turns into a spirit
And discards excess slag.
Intestines, liver, glands and kidneys -
"Concentrations and altars
High hierarchies" in the musical
Consent. There are no worries
Calls and pains: hands do not hurt,
Healthy ears, mouth does not dry, nerves
Hardy, distinct and sensitive ...
And if you, persevering in work,
Physical you will exceed the norm of forces,
Your subconscious mind will hold you right away!

It is best to repeat these white verses while sitting in the most comfortable position with your eyes closed, breathing easily and freely.

You can search and use prayers. I treat such things with respect.

Step 18: Think rationally
One of the most important skills in the fight against suspiciousness is rational thinking. It is impossible to think only about the bad, disturbing, exciting or frightening all the time. This is especially not worth doing, being alone with yourself, in the evening or before bedtime. Everyone knows how this kind of thoughts and experiences interfere with finding peace of mind, contributing to normal falling asleep and restful sleep. And a bad dream, filled with disturbing dreams, plunges the suspicious person even more into the abyss of experiences. Therefore, before going to bed, it is better to dream, fantasize about something pleasant, remember joyful moments.

It is best to be physically tired SO much during the day so that there is no time for such thoughts.

in a positive way

If you can master these steps and add your own to them, you will gradually begin to think in a new way. And you will understand how much in life you have lost because of your suspiciousness.

Yaroslav Kolpakov, clinical psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences: “Suspiciousness is a complex psychological phenomenon. It is associated primarily with such a concept as anxiety. Anxiety is understood as a certain potential readiness of a person to respond to new situations, life circumstances, events with one or another manifestation of anxiety.

Suspicious people have a fairly high level of anxiety. Suspiciousness in the bodily sphere can manifest itself in the form of hypochondria. A person tends to very sensitively and attentively “listen” to all the signals of his body, attribute painful meaning to them, interpret them as threatening health or even life, and often seek help from doctors.

Suspiciousness in the social sphere can be manifested by paranoia, that is, a tendency to be wary in communication, a distorted perception of the attitude of other people as hostile. The result of a kind of “protection” against suspiciousness can be perfectionism, that is, an almost obsessive belief that “I must achieve only the best results, I must be the best.”

In a pathological form, this is manifested by the conviction that “no personal result I have achieved is perfect”, which can be even better. The fear of not achieving the best result leads a person to procrastination - the constant delay in making important decisions, postponing important things “for tomorrow”.

Because of this, a person’s anxiety can only grow, a kind of “vicious circle” is formed: anxiety - suspiciousness - paranoia - perfectionism - procrastination - anxiety. If you can’t break this circle with the help of the tips given in the article, it is recommended to seek the advice of a psychologist.”

Expert: Yaroslav Kolpakov, clinical psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences

P.S. It is possible to struggle with suspiciousness. And you can not touch it - let it live for itself. So get used to it and stop noticing! 🙂

In psychiatry, the concept of "suspiciousness" means a peculiar feeling or even a characteristic that is characteristic of anxious individuals who very often assume some kind of danger, other unfavorable factors, even if there are no obvious reasons for this. Very often this feeling is compared with fear, distrust, timidity, suspicion, expressed by the presence of complexes, cowardice. Such a comparison and even some similarity is due to the fact that suspiciousness is largely associated with these character traits.

Also, this feeling makes people believe, although this is fundamentally wrong, that the whole environment classifies their personality as the “worst”. Suspiciousness is most often characteristic of children and adolescents, but in fact, adults are also equally susceptible to it.

Excessive suspiciousness, as a constant feeling and experience, often includes unreasonable anxiety for one reason or another. In itself, this may be based on the presence of specific beliefs, stereotypes, fears, phobias. Most often, such experiences affect very specific areas of an individual's life, for example, professional or personal.

Often, psychologists attribute suspiciousness to a separate property of the psyche, which affects the behavioral standards of an individual. Such people are very vulnerable and touchy, which is due to their constant belief that others always seek to offend, offend, cause any physical or moral damage.

Such emotions, which constantly accompany a suspicious person, have a very detrimental effect later on his physical and mental state. Of course, this has a very negative effect on success and personality, creates an insurmountable barrier between him and the possibility of realization, forcing him to withdraw into himself and avoid any contacts.

Causes of suspiciousness

Psychologists have established that almost all causes of suspiciousness come from early childhood. Moreover, the main among them are often the features of the relationship between the child and his parents.

The decisive factor may be the habit of parents to provide the child with such demands that he is physically unable to cope, which ultimately makes the baby feel insecure, feel weak, incapable of anything, useless. Sometimes parents even make their child feel guilty in situations where his guilt is out of the question. As a result, all this may well lead to the development of suspiciousness.

It is also worth mentioning separately the impact on the human psyche of negative experience. It can mean any event. Knocking the individual out of the usual rut: undermined trust, unfulfilled promises and obligations, betrayal by the closest and, it would seem, reliable person. Such life turns often make a person feel danger from everywhere in order to avoid the repetition of such blows.

At the same time, low self-esteem, the individual's distrust of himself and his abilities, can also play a role, since he is already beginning to attribute himself to a kind of "lower class". In such situations, suspiciousness only develops and takes the position of the main quality of the individual.

Simply put, from the point of view of specialists, suspiciousness is formed and grows from any bad experience, especially if this experience was obtained in childhood and deposited in the subcortex. The problem is that suspicious people can gradually go crazy due to constant thoughts and reasoning, as they tend to scroll through this or that situation several times in their heads, trying in every possible way to find the cherished “trick”. This state of affairs can go to extremes.

When to dissuade a person in his own prejudice is, in principle, impossible. Ultimately, a suspicious person constantly refers to himself as a chronic loser, and considers life as a kind of torment. At the same time, despite all his suspicion of close and dear people, he subconsciously wants to receive the much-needed support and help from outside. Do not forget about such a phenomenon as "hypochondria", which is literally a suspicious attitude towards one's health.

Hypochondriacs always strive to find in themselves a number of certain symptoms, to detect a certain disease, since they initially tend to consider themselves seriously ill, even if there are no weighty reasons for this. At the same time, they continue to persistently visit all kinds of doctors.

It is worth noting that the hypochondriac's fear of the disease is not fictitious or feigned, since he is completely under the influence of self-deception and is sincerely convinced of his "suffering". The extreme degree of hypochondria can be "iatrogenic" - the opposite effect, in which certain symptoms can actually manifest themselves in the form of a strong self-persuasion and self-hypnosis of the individual.

How to get rid of suspiciousness

It is quite logical that suspicious people or their loved ones have a question about how to get rid of suspiciousness. First of all, in such a situation, it is worth learning to distinguish situations in which a person was really offended from those in which he only thought of himself like that. Thus, the individual must understand that often he just suspects people in vain of what they not only did not do, but did not even intend to do.

Most often, such people are recommended in every possible way to abstract from unpleasant situations and emotions. Thinking over and considering various negative experiences, one should try to consider what happened from different angles, discarding prejudices about the bad intentions of others and loved ones. As a rule, after some time, a suspicious person begins to realize that sometimes all his suspicions, mistrusts and prejudices turned out to be completely groundless. At the same time, one should look for those moments when the individual himself turned out to be absolutely right and try to support them.

You should never look for excuses for the person who offended you and his actions. It is worth maintaining the position of the conviction that no one has the right to harm you or humiliate your dignity. If such negative situations are constantly repeated, and a suspicious person is not able to cope with his emotions, feels driven into a corner, then it makes sense to seek help from a specialist. An experienced psychologist can provide significant support in identifying the causes of suspiciousness and solving the emerging problem, which often the individual himself is not able to cope without outside help.

However, this does not mean that an adult is not a priori able to keep a balance between the required psychological self-defense and suspiciousness.

Here are some tips from experienced professionals on how a suspicious person is able to independently resist his beliefs:

• Try to have a positive mindset. Find as many positive moments as possible in everything that happens to you, and even in the most insignificant, but pleasant little things.
• Boost your self-esteem. Highlight all your successes and strengths. Learn to love and respect yourself.
• Do not speak negatively about yourself in any team. Even when it comes to jokes.
• Get rid of all bad and bad habits, give yourself only positive attitudes. Use regular positive affirmations.
• Pay as much attention as possible to the positives and try to look for the good in everything. Let go of situations that hurt you.
• It makes sense to distract from your experiences, since the core of any suspiciousness is the individual's fixation on his premonitions, negative emotions and experiences. Developing the habit of positive thinking and daydreaming can help.
• Also, a favorite pastime, a hobby, may well distract from the negative.
• Find an outlet for your negative feelings and thoughts if you are not good at drowning out and ignoring them. For example, you can start a separate diary to record all your prejudices and experiences.

After expressing your feelings, reread them. Often, suspicious people, having become familiar with their fears over time, find them completely ridiculous and unfounded, which has a positive effect on the fight against suspiciousness.

Complaints of a patient with hypochondria are usually concentrated around one or two organs and systems, while the assessment of the severity of their condition and the degree of conviction in the presence of a particular disease is constantly changing. The diagnosis is established on the basis of complaints, anamnesis and data from additional studies. Treatment - psychotherapy, drug therapy.

Hypochondria

Hypochondria (hypochondriac disorder) is a mental disorder manifested by constant concern about one's own health and persistent suspicions of a serious illness. According to some researchers, patients with hypochondria make up 14% of the total number of patients seeking help in general medical institutions. Opinions about the prevalence of hypochondria among men and women differ.

Some experts argue that men are more likely to suffer from this disorder, while others believe that the disease equally often affects the weaker and stronger sex. In men, hypochondria usually develops after 30 years, in women - after 40 years. In 25% of cases, despite adequate treatment, there is a deterioration or no improvement. In half of the patients, the disorder becomes chronic. Hypochondria is treated by clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.

Causes of hypochondria

Mental health professionals identify several causes of hypochondria. Among the endogenous factors that provoke the development of hypochondria, include hereditary traits of character and personality: suspiciousness, excessive impressionability, anxiety, hypersensitivity. It is assumed that a peculiar interpretation of bodily signals, a feature characteristic of all types of somatoform disorders, is of some importance. Patients with hypochondria and other similar disorders perceive normal neutral signals from various organs and systems as pathological (for example, as pain), however, what this interpretation is connected with - with brain dysfunction or with a change in the sensitivity of peripheral nerves - remains unclear.

As exogenous factors causing the development of hypochondria, psychologists consider excessive parental anxiety about the child's well-being and severe or long-term illnesses at an early age. A real or imaginary threat to one's own health encourages a patient suffering from hypochondria to show increased attention to his bodily sensations, and the belief in one's own morbidity creates fertile ground for the formation of the "position of the patient." A person who is convinced of the weakness of his health involuntarily looks for a disease in himself, and this can cause hypochondriacal experiences.

A certain role in the development of hypochondria is played by acute stress, chronic traumatic situations, depression and neurotic mental disorders. Due to mental and emotional exhaustion, the vulnerability of the psyche increases. The attention of a patient with hypochondria begins to randomly fixate on various insignificant external and internal signals. Increased attention to the work of internal organs violates the autonomy of physiological functions, vegetative and somatic disorders occur, which the patient interprets as signs of a serious illness.

Experts believe that hypochondria is a pathologically sharpened self-preservation instinct, one of the manifestations of the fear of death. At the same time, many psychologists consider hypochondria as "the inability to get sick", which can manifest itself as pathologically acute or pathologically weak reactions to disturbances in the functioning of the body. It has been established that patients with hypochondria, when detecting a real somatic disease, pay less attention to such a disease than to their hypochondriacal experiences, sometimes perceiving a real pathology as insignificant and insignificant.

Symptoms of hypochondria

Patients with hypochondria complain of pain and discomfort in the area of ​​various organs. Often they directly name the alleged somatic disease or in a roundabout way try to draw the doctor's attention to the possibility of developing a particular disease. At the same time, the degree of conviction in the presence of a certain disease varies from one appointment to another. Patients suffering from hypochondria can “jump” from one disease to another, more often within one organ or system (for example, at a previous appointment, the patient was worried about stomach cancer, and now he is inclined to the diagnosis of peptic ulcer), “migration” of painful sensations.

Most often, the fears of patients with hypochondria are associated with the state of the cardiovascular system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. Some patients suffering from hypochondria are worried about the possible presence of infectious diseases: HIV, hepatitis, etc. A story about unpleasant sensations can be vivid, emotional, or, on the contrary, monotonous, emotionally inexpressive. Attempts by the doctor to dissuade the patient cause a pronounced negative reaction.

Complaints of patients suffering from hypochondria are peculiar and do not fit into the clinical picture of a particular somatic disease. Patients with hypochondria often note the presence of paresthesias: a sensation of tingling, numbness, or crawling. The second place in prevalence in hypochondria is occupied by psychalgia - pain that is not associated with the pathology of any organ. Senestalgia is possible - unusual, sometimes bizarre pain sensations: burning, twisting, shooting, twisting, etc. Sometimes, with hypochondria, senestopathies are observed - hard to describe, but very unpleasant sensations that are difficult to associate with the activity of some organ. In addition, patients often complain of general malaise, a feeling of vague, but global somatic distress.

Hypochondria affects the character of patients and their relationship with others. Patients become selfish, fully concentrate on their painful sensations and emotional experiences. They interpret the calm attitude of others towards their condition as a sign of callousness and callousness. Possible accusations against loved ones. Other interests become insignificant. Patients with hypochondria, sincerely convinced of the presence of a serious illness, spend all their energy on preserving the “remnants of their own health”, this causes a break in close relationships, problems at work, a decrease in the number of social contacts, etc.

Types of hypochondria

Depending on the nature and degree of mental disorders in psychiatry, three types of hypochondria are distinguished: obsessive, overvalued and delusional. Obsessive hypochondria occurs during stress or is the result of excessive sensibility. More often detected in sensitive, emotional patients with a rich imagination. This form of hypochondria can develop after the doctor’s careless words, another person’s story about his illness, watching a program dedicated to a particular disease, etc.

In a mild transient form, hypochondriacal experiences often occur in students of medical universities (“third-year illness”), as well as in people who first came into contact with medicine due to their profession, life circumstances, or ordinary curiosity (the famous “I found in myself all diseases, except for puerperal fever”). ”from the story “Three in a boat, not counting the dog” by Jerome K. Jerome). In most cases, these experiences are not clinically significant and do not require special treatment.

A distinctive feature of obsessive hypochondria are sudden bouts of anxiety and fear for one's health. The patient may be afraid of catching a cold when going outside in bad weather, or afraid of being poisoned when ordering food in a restaurant. He understands that he can take specific measures to protect himself from illness or significantly reduce the risk of its occurrence, but this does not help to cope with fear. Criticism in this form of hypochondria is preserved, thoughts about a possible disease are hypothetical, but anxiety does not disappear, despite logical conclusions and attempts at self-persuasion.

Overvalued hypochondria - logically correct, understandable to other people, but extremely exaggerated concern for one's health. The patient makes a lot of efforts, trying to achieve the ideal state of the body, constantly taking measures to prevent a certain disease (for example, cancer). With overvalued hypochondria, there are often attempts at self-treatment, the immoderate use of "folk methods of recovery", attempts to build pseudoscientific theories, etc. Health becomes an absolute priority, other interests go by the wayside, which can lead to tension in relationships with loved ones, worsening financial situation and even dismissal or destruction of the family.

Delusional hypochondria is a disorder based on pathological inferences. A characteristic feature is paralogical thinking, the ability and need to “connect the unconnected”, for example: “the doctor looked askance at me - that means I have AIDS, but he deliberately hides it.” Crazy ideas in this form of hypochondria are often implausible and outright fantastic, for example, "a crack appeared in the wall - it means that the wall is built of radioactive materials, and I develop cancer." A patient with hypochondria interprets any attempt at dissuasion as a deliberate deceit, and perceives a refusal to carry out therapeutic measures as evidence of the hopelessness of the situation. Delusions and hallucinations are possible. This type of hypochondria is commonly seen in schizophrenia and severe depression. May provoke suicide attempts.

Diagnosis and treatment of hypochondria

The diagnosis is established on the basis of the patient's complaints, anamnesis of the disease, data from additional studies and the conclusions of general practitioners. In the process of diagnosis, depending on the complaints presented, patients suffering from hypochondria are referred to a general practitioner, cardiologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, endocrinologist and other specialists. Blood and urine tests, ECG, chest X-ray, MRI of the brain, ultrasound of the internal organs and other studies may be required. After exclusion of somatic pathology, hypochondria is differentiated from other mental disorders: depression, somatization disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorders, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Depending on the severity of hypochondria, treatment can be carried out both on an outpatient basis and in a hospital setting (environment therapy). The main treatment for hypochondria is psychotherapy. Rational psychotherapy is used to correct erroneous beliefs. In the presence of family problems, acute psycho-traumatic situations and chronic internal conflicts, Gestalt therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, family therapy and other methods are used. In the treatment of hypochondria, it is important to ensure that the patient has constant contact with one general practitioner, since the use of a large number of specialists creates a favorable environment for manipulation, increases the risk of unnecessary conservative treatment and unnecessary surgical interventions.

Due to the high risk of developing addiction and possible fears of the presence of severe somatic pathology, which doctors allegedly hide from the patient with hypochondria, the use of drugs for this pathology is limited. With concomitant depression and neurotic disorders, tranquilizers and antidepressants are prescribed. In schizophrenia, neuroleptics are used. If necessary, beta-blockers, nootropic drugs, mood stabilizers and vegetative stabilizers are included in the drug therapy regimen. The prognosis depends on the severity of hypochondria and the presence of concomitant mental disorders.

Hypochondria - treatment in Moscow

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If you constantly suspect someone of deceit, think that someone is plotting behind your back and constantly doubt when making decisions, you have increased suspiciousness. About 30 percent of people on Earth are subject to such a tendency to anxiety, fears for various reasons and without them. Constant worries destroy faith in yourself and your strengths, and prevent you from getting joy from life. Relationships with friends, relatives and loved ones, as well as health and success at work, are frequent reasons for worry. and become free from prejudice? What are the symptoms of suspiciousness? About this in our material today.

Symptoms of suspiciousness

You can determine increased suspiciousness by analyzing your own behavior and attitude to what is happening around. Let's single out several symptoms that indicate excessive suspiciousness of a person.

Suspicious people are characterized by constant doubts, irritability and fatigue. Such a person can understand any conversation in his own way, digging out the hidden meaning in it. He also treats his words with great attention, constantly worrying that the interlocutor will not understand him correctly. At night, a lot of disturbing thoughts are born in the head of a suspicious person: “I did not fulfill the plan at work, I will be fired. If I get fired, I won't be able to support my family. I urgently need to look for a new job, otherwise my wife will leave me and take the children.” A tangle of thoughts can lead a person to the most incredible conclusions. With others, suspicious people behave modestly and shyly, often they are lower-level employees, because they cannot take responsibility. Each solution of problems becomes torment for such a person, he is tormented by doubts about the correctness of the choice, feels insecure about the consequences.

Suspicious people do not live in the present, they are only concerned about what was and what will be in the future, how any word or deed will turn out for them. Suspicious people are very anxious about their health, any ailment can cause panic. A person begins to search the Internet for the name of his disease according to the symptoms that he himself has identified. Even if the doctor convinces a suspicious person that everything is in order with him, the person doubts. Suddenly the doctor was in a hurry and did not reveal the disease or the device was faulty. It is especially difficult for suspicious girls, doubts about pregnancy become their main problem, dozens of tests are purchased.

Constant anxiety can lead a person to nervous diseases, in order to avoid this, suspicious people are sent to work with a psychologist who allows a person to dispel unnecessary fears and feel more confident.

How to overcome suspiciousness?

As we could see, suspiciousness prevents a person from living a full life, does not allow him to develop and build a personal life. But there are tips from experienced psychologists who will help get rid of this ailment.

• Do not look for symptoms of any disease in yourself, this should be done by a doctor. If there are any doubts, then contact the clinic and undergo an examination. Only it will show the presence or absence of the disease. Self-diagnosis usually only leads to panic and depression.

Remember: the Internet is not the best help in determining the disease, since the symptoms of many diseases overlap. Do not ruin yourself by treating a non-existent disease!

According to experts, suspiciousness is a psychological process associated with increased human anxiety. Over time, suspiciousness can turn into serious nervous diseases and even paranoia. Fears and constant anxiety do not allow a person to develop, he puts off important things and decisions for later (procrastination). Suspicious people suffer from hypochondria (excessive attention to their health, imagination of non-existent diseases of the body), do not believe doctors and try to be treated themselves, which only worsens the situation.

With the help of the tips given in our article, you can get rid of unnecessary anxiety and finally overcome suspiciousness in yourself. But if you feel that you yourself can not cope with the ailment that has piled up, then contact a psychologist for a thorough analysis of the problem that has arisen.

Suspiciousness - what is it? How to get rid of suspiciousness?

With the modern rhythm of life, a person is constantly subject to stress, a tense state of the nervous system, breakdowns, and emotional instability. The race for a career, earnings and various benefits of civilization is very expensive for us and gives rise to various ailments. We become too suspicious, we worry about everything. How to characterize such a state? Scientists have given it a name - suspiciousness. These are all fears and anxieties that arise in people and are caused by various reasons. Gradually, they become more frequent and can take the form in which a person develops a fear of death, the possibility of contracting a serious incurable disease, etc.

Causes

After a while, negative emotions become so strong that a person does not stop thinking about the bad, and he has a feeling of doom.

Often suspicious people are most worried about their health, relationships with loved ones, with their other half, career growth. This state of a person has a very bad effect on communication with family and friends, and as a result, he may be isolated.

Suspiciousness is a property of the psyche, which manifests itself in both children and adults equally. When this state is too developed in a person, he is touchy, has complexes and experiences constant anxiety. Such people believe that others are potential offenders for them and want to put them in an ugly light. They are also constantly tormented by various emotions of a negative nature, which has an extremely bad effect on the overall mental, and subsequently physical well-being.

Suspiciousness develops due to the fact that in childhood the child was brought up incorrectly, as well as developed self-doubt, a number of failures that befell in life. Mental disorders also play an important role.

Don't give in to your guesses

Gradually, negative thoughts begin to take over a person, and this literally drives him crazy.

Any minor situation that happened to him becomes a whole tragedy. Any event seems to him a global problem. All this he plays in his head a large number of times.

Those subject to this condition are constantly haunted by thoughts that they want to deceive or are trying to mock them. People of this kind believe their hunches and trying to convince them is an extremely difficult task.

Constant anxiety, which is caused in a person by self-hypnosis, takes possession of him, and his life, as well as the life of all those who are nearby, becomes unbearable. Such people begin to consider themselves losers and slaves of an unfolding fate.

At the same time, they want their relatives to help and provide support. But at the same time, they are also seen as traitors.

Invented diagnoses

If a person has too developed suspiciousness, diseases that the body allegedly suffers from, he invents himself. Scientists have even developed a special name for such people - hypochondriacs. Surrounding, by the way, often make fun of them.

A person suffering from such a phobia constantly tries to find various diseases in his body, thinks only about his well-being, looks for symptoms of complex ailments, regularly visits doctors, takes medication. Such people like to watch television shows on the topic of health, follow periodic medical journals, and search for articles on the Internet. After that, they are increasingly overcome by the thought that they are terminally ill. They are no longer able to think about anything else: health is all that interests them. Most of all, a hypochondriac is interested in advertising medicines, as well as various methods related to health prevention.

Control your imagination

For hypochondriacs, as well as people prone to suspiciousness, their fears associated with illness or deceit are not an imitation, but a reality caused by self-hypnosis. It turns out that after a certain period of time, the imagination begins to deviate from the norm and draws pictures in the head that distort reality. At the same time, it begins to seem to a person that he is sick and his body is unhealthy, although, in fact, this is not so.

How to fight?

How to overcome suspiciousness in the case when you are offended? In such a situation, you can tell your opponent about it or cut off all contact with him. Of course, there may be another option: you turned out to be wrong or the words of the offender were correct. Then it is worth adopting some internal criteria for yourself so that you can accurately determine in which situation which of you is guilty. Do not show unnecessary self-criticism, taking full responsibility for yourself. Such behavior will not benefit both your mental and physical health.

It should be remembered that suspiciousness is an unpleasant feeling that constantly reduces self-esteem, while a person always has a bad mood, and therefore life in general does not give him any joy. Such negativity should be quickly disposed of. All people have inner strengths that will help them cope with bad emotions. It should be remembered that no one is able to offend you, and you yourself are able to protect yourself.

Impact of negative information

When a person gives up and falls under the control of the feelings discussed above, suspiciousness can soon take over.

Information that comes from the outside world will be perceived as negative. In this regard, a person will lose the opportunity to enjoy life.

Excessive suspiciousness develops psychosomatic problems, which are expressed in diseases of the respiratory organs, constant depression, a person becomes irritable and depressed. It turns out that, succumbing to negative thoughts, we develop them to a global scale, and they begin to sharpen our psyche from the inside like a worm, as a result of which experiences become an integral part of everyday life.

How to get rid of suspiciousness

To do this, you need to analyze your actions. Think about your lifestyle.

You should remember those moments when you were hurt and offended, and how you felt at the same time. It is possible that you will be able to understand that others did not want to harm you.

If suspiciousness begins to take possession of you, the symptoms of its manifestation should be overcome immediately. Otherwise, in such a situation, you will quickly be drawn into a protracted depression.

In most cases, you can handle this on your own. When you begin to understand that you are gradually developing suspiciousness (the reasons for it can be any - bad thoughts, troubles at work or at home, etc.), then you should try to abstract yourself from what is happening as soon as possible and consider the current situation from the positive side. The joy of everything that happens can overcome the symptoms.

You are able to cope with all the problems on your own, because suspiciousness is just our inner fears. We bring to your attention a few more lights to combat this condition.

Look for the good in yourself and think positively

First of all, try to identify your positive qualities. Celebrate your successes, find your strengths. At the same time, try not to think about any negative qualities of your personality.

Do not talk about yourself in a negative way, even as a joke, because you will never be able to get rid of suspiciousness in this way, because you will subconsciously follow this installation.

Be sure to think only in a positive way. Change your established habits. Start small, and then you will be able to change yourself as a whole. Let's set ourselves up for a certain result.

Don't be afraid to laugh and fight your fears

Look for humor in everything. Laugh at yourself or at your surroundings. It is difficult, but if you try, it is quite possible. Also try to transfer all your fears, worries and fears to paper. Post these posts where you will always see them. Time will pass and you will get used to not being afraid of them, and your phobias will gradually disappear. Draw your fear, for example, like a comic.

Another way to deal with suspiciousness is to drive away your fears. Make an effort of will and force them out with, for example, pity. Do not try to get rid of your obsessive thoughts. After all, with suspiciousness, a person immediately tries to drive away all thoughts from himself, but in this way they take possession of consciousness even more. You should make it clear to your fears that you are not afraid of them and expect new dirty tricks from them.

Think Positive

Try to think rationally. Don't just think about the bad. Feelings should not take over you. Try not to think about other people's opinions of you. Find a useful activity, a hobby. Passion for some things gives a person enough strength not to feel negative and boldly move on.

Record the events of your life

Start keeping a personal diary. He should be entrusted with all fears and worries. Try to write down every little thing. Record your experiences in different situations in a diary. And also how you behaved at the same time, your emotions. Conduct a situation analysis. If you find yourself in a similar position again, just read your earlier entries and you will understand that it is not worth such an experience.

Try to start applying all of the above methods. Little by little at first, then every day. So you can overcome your fears and start thinking rationally. You can come up with your own recipe for getting rid of the disease. Time will pass and your thinking will change: you will think only about the good.

Conclusion

If a person has taken possession of suspiciousness, symptoms can be noticed almost immediately. So, he begins to convince himself through negative thoughts that his life is worse than the rest, he can become infected with a deadly disease, he is constantly in danger, and others laugh at him. This is easy to explain by self-hypnosis. Every day such a person draws himself more and more into the web of suspiciousness. He meets all the events of his life only with negative thoughts, he blames himself and those around him for everything. Such behavior does not lead to anything good in the end.

However, if self-treatment does not help you, you should resort to the help of specialists who will competently tell you how to deal with suspiciousness. Otherwise, you may face prolonged depression and deterioration of well-being.

How to get rid of suspiciousness?

Suspiciousness is a strong obsession with some problem that appears as a result of prolonged exposure to the psyche.

What is suspiciousness? Suspiciousness is a strong obsession with some problem that appears as a result of prolonged exposure to the psyche. As a rule, a person does not notice how he gets into the network of this problem. He begins to suffer even more when he realizes that others do not want to share his fears. Often even relatives do not want to listen to such people, considering their phobias far-fetched. It's just that no one becomes suspicious. Everything in life must have a good reason. Often suspiciousness appears after some kind of illness (not necessarily serious), when a person was afraid of his condition and expected a worse outcome. Suspicious people are extremely susceptible to outside influence. They are constantly worried about how others will look at them, what they will say about their personal person. Suspicion actually interferes with a person, does not allow him to live fully, to develop in accordance with the chosen direction. Suspiciousness gradually destroys from within, subjugates the personality. Afterwards it becomes generally difficult to think of anything else.

Symptoms of suspiciousness

We can say that suspiciousness is one of the forms of addiction that a person can only have. A person is so obsessed with his own feelings that he ceases to notice the surrounding reality. He refuses to participate in anything, from now on he is only concerned with the problem he has identified. What are the main symptoms of suspiciousness? Let's consider in more detail.

Anxiety

Anxiety is the main symptom of suspiciousness. Suspicious people almost constantly feel uncontrollable bouts of fear. Their anxiety does not have a clearly defined direction. They just constantly worry about their health, that nothing bad happens to them. However, it is hardly possible to insure against all the troubles that can only happen in the future. It seems that a suspicious person expects only trouble from life, and betrayal from close relatives. As a rule, they have few friends, because in order to build relationships, you need to open your soul, share the most intimate, and it is difficult for them to do this because of distrust of others. Suspicious people themselves suffer from their anxiety, but often cannot cope with this symptom on their own.

Self-doubt

Suspiciousness makes a person constantly have doubts about their own strengths and capabilities. Such a person does not believe that he can really achieve any meaningful results. Doubts block any undertakings, prevent you from trying your hand in various directions. A suspicious person first of all listens to the voice of his own fears. He does not look for opportunities because he does not believe that anything in his life can really change.

Feeling of fear

Fear is a symptom that clearly characterizes suspiciousness. A person does not look for reasons why everything in his life has changed not for the best. Fear fetters any attempts to correct the situation, prevents full development. A suspicious person limits himself very much, does not allow him to gain new experience. He does not know what to do next and is constantly in a hopeless situation. Over time, fear destroys his inner world, making him even more vulnerable.

Fixation on the problem

Suspicious people pay too much attention to their problems. From the outside, it may seem that they do not think about anything else at all, but constantly review their own fears in their heads. They have such a strong fixation on any difficulties that there is absolutely no time or internal resources left for joy. Constant experiences, of course, undermine the psyche. Personality becomes difficult to adequately perceive the surrounding reality. Against this background, apathy is formed, indifference to everything that happens, resentment and susceptibility become aggravated.

Causes of suspiciousness

Why does a person suddenly begin to doubt his own strengths and capabilities? Why does his mindset change so much? What are the reasons for the development of suspiciousness?

Psychological trauma

Any negative experience has a strong effect on the human psyche. The person becomes nervous, irritable, sometimes even uncontrollable. Sometimes this is enough to form limiting fears and doubts about one's own person. Psychological trauma is a serious reason for the formation of suspiciousness. A person loses a part of himself, his inner world is destroyed. In order to preserve your essence, you often have to resort to self-defense. Suspiciousness often acts as such an unconscious reaction to negative events. A person subconsciously seeks to protect himself, but in fact drives him into an even greater framework. There is a vicious circle from which it is not so easy to get out.

lingering illness

When you have to spend a lot of time in illness, then your hands will involuntarily fall down. When the disease is serious and lasts for several months, the human body weakens, its energy is depleted. A person simply will not have the strength to move on, to develop in a certain way. A protracted illness deprives internal strength, confidence in the future. A person thinks only about how to feel better and forgets about everything else. Often for this reason, an involuntary habit develops to constantly listen to your body. A fear is created that the body can fail at any moment and therefore careful control is required.

Lack of self-esteem

Self-doubt is a serious reason for the formation of suspiciousness. If a person by nature does not have a strong core within himself, then many circumstances in life can interfere with its formation. Self-doubt in itself is a powerful reason for developing the habit of constantly monitoring the activities of your body. At the same time, it often happens in practice that a person is terribly afraid of doctors and avoids turning to traditional medicine. But there is a feeling that only a dirty trick should be expected from everywhere. Such people, as a rule, greatly torment themselves and those around them with constant mood swings.

How to get rid of suspiciousness

Symptoms of suspiciousness can haunt a person for life. This is a very heavy burden that puts a lot of pressure on the psyche. Being in such a state, it is impossible to develop, to feel really happy. How to get rid of suspiciousness? What steps should be taken? Let's try to figure it out.

Hobby

When a person has a favorite thing, he has no time to be bored. Having an activity you enjoy releases a lot of energy, helps you feel happy and self-sufficient. That is why it is necessary to try to find some kind of passion or hobby for yourself. It is important that this activity gives strength to live on and helps not to dwell on problems. Remember that everything is transient, nothing should be too worried about.

Rationalization

In order for fears and doubts to go away faster, it is important to start a dialogue with yourself. At the first signs of panic, you should explain to yourself why this situation has now developed and what it really threatens you with. This approach will avoid uncontrollable fear. Rationalization will help avoid a state where emotional tension becomes too great. When there is an opportunity to think through each step, it becomes clear how to proceed. Letting go of fears, you can begin to self-realization.

Thus, in order to know how to get rid of suspiciousness, you must first of all act. You can not go in cycles in your problem, no matter how terrible and insoluble it may seem. First you need to understand the reasons for what is happening, and then look for ways to overcome the destructive state.

Affect in psychology is considered as a certain form of manifestation of human emotions ...

Emotions and feelings of a person can be conditionally divided into two types: positive and negative ...

In youthful maximalism, it is customary to include manifestations of youthful intolerance towards certain things, the intensity of feelings, the desire for independence and defending one's point of view.

Restraint is understood as the ability of a person to exercise control over his actions, deeds ...

What is suspiciousness? A suspicious person - what is he? “I became very suspicious and fearful, I constantly wind myself up ...” “I am very suspicious, I constantly think that everyone is looking at me, judging and condemning me.” “I am suspicious and constantly worry about work, I am afraid of the failure of my projects.” “I think all the time that everything will be bad, crying, damaging the nerves of my family and friends. I also constantly feel like I’m terminally ill…” Familiar? We can hear such words from friends, relatives and acquaintances, and often from ourselves.

In this article, cognitive psychologist Elena Skob will tell you what suspiciousness is and what are the features of its manifestation, analyze the causes of suspiciousness and tell you about ways to get rid of it. You will learn about the methods for diagnosing suspiciousness, as well as receive recommendations on the communicative sphere of a suspicious personality and correction of suspiciousness. How to deal with suspiciousness?

What is suspiciousness?

What is suspiciousness?

Anxiety is one of the most prominent personality traits. An anxious person is easy to spot: such people stutter during a conversation, perform a lot of unnecessary manipulations, ask a lot of prognostic questions. One is suspiciousness. Often, suspiciousness is compared with suspicion, incredulity, timidity, timidity, cowardice, complexes.

suspicious person is a person who is regularly subjected to serious fears with and without it. A person with this syndrome is constantly in fear that something bad will happen soon. Frequent worries arise against the background of excessive worries about future possible disasters that may occur, and the fear of losing control of circumstances.

What are suspicious people afraid of? The two main fears of suspicious people are:

1. Fear of being deceived. Suspicious people have negative attitudes that often say out loud: “You can’t trust anyone”, “Enemies are all around, everyone“ looks askance at me ”,“ Everyone around lies and wishes me harm, ”etc.

1. Fear of getting sick. Suspicious individuals are obsessed with health, study medicine on their own, love to look for deadly diseases (hypochondria is a manic concern for one's own health)

A very common question these days is: suspiciousness - is it a disease or a character?

Anxiety, as a character trait, is not a pathology, however, its presence for a long period of time can cause a mental disorder.Learn more about what is. Often, such a character trait is a symptom of the latent development of serious diseases, of which psychasthenia and hypochondria.

Reasons for suspiciousness. How does it manifest itself?

Why does suspiciousness appear and what are its causes?

As mentioned earlier, a suspicious person constantly thinks about the negative and his insolvency. Soon, such thoughts develop into a sense of doom, which is reflected in all life.

The patient begins to have problems with interpersonal communication, because the feeling of insecurity becomes stronger every day. A person begins to worry about his health, relationships with family, friends and soulmate, career. Not everyone can experience something like this. Often, suspiciousness leads to isolation, loss of friends and little communication. How to improve?

Suspiciousness can manifest itself in all people, regardless of gender, race, age category. It affects children and adults equally, men and women.

According to most psychologists, suspiciousness has three forms of manifestation:

1. Heightened self-esteem: in this situation, a person prefers to put their own interests above the needs of others.

1. Problems with the implementation of the choice of actions: suspicious people are afraid that their actions may become a mistake.

1. Increased anxiety regarding future events.

Psychologists believe that suspiciousness in people occurs for the following reasons.:

• Incorrect parenting . Constant prohibitions, punishments, negative labeling can lead to the fact that the child will feel guilty without guilt in any situation. When parents put the opinion of others in the first place, forgetting about the interests and feelings of the child, constantly pulling him up, forcing him to behave in one way or another without explanation, the likelihood that a suspicious and insecure adult will grow out of a little man increases.
• Self-doubt, complex . Such people tend to doubt the correctness of their actions, they are afraid to make a mistake. If something does not go according to plan, then anxiety covers them with even greater force. Find out, .
• Past traumatic event happened unexpectedly and unforeseen. Once having experienced a significant loss, betrayal, moral or physical abuse, a person will try to avoid repetition with all his might.
• Prolonged bad life experience . For example, a long-term close relationship with an insincere and dishonest person.
• Psychical deviations . When disharmony in personal positions and behavior becomes too noticeable, they talk about, such as paranoid personality disorder, hypochondria, psychasthenia. If a suspicious person does not want to deal with such a condition, the syndrome develops into a full-fledged disease, as a result of which physical and psychological health is undermined.

Suspicious people are afraid that their actions may become a mistake.

Suspiciousness is dangerous because it leads to such psychosomatic problems as: depression, respiratory diseases, depression, irritability. Suspiciousness not only overshadows a person's life, but also paralyzes his activity, prevents him from achieving success on his path, building a harmonious personal life.

Diagnosis of suspiciousness

Perhaps the only "plus" of suspiciousness is that iteasy to notice.

Currently, psychologists have developed diagnostic methods that will help answer the question: are you suspicious?

Methods for diagnosing anxiety and anxiety in schoolchildren:

— Phillips School Anxiety Test;

— Diagnosis of Anxiety in Children (CMAS);

— Scale of educational anxiety.

Methods for diagnosing anxiety and anxiety in adults:

— Scale of situational (reactive) anxiety;

— Personal scale of manifestation of anxiety (anxiety);

— Anxiety scale;

— Personal anxiety scale (Spielberger questionnaire);

— Diagnosis of professional and parental anxiety;

- Scale for determining anxiety and depression.

There are also personal methods, where anxiety acts as a diagnosed component.

Methods for diagnosing personality traits in preschoolers and schoolchildren:

— Graphic technique "Cactus";

— Test "Hand";

– Methodology “contour S.A.T.-N”;

— Children's apperception test (DAT);

- Test "Family Drawing".

Methods for diagnosing personality traits in adults:

- Test "House. Wood. Human";

— Test "Self-assessment of mental states" Eysenck;

— Personality Questionnaire of the Bekhterev Institute (LOBI);

- Test "Non-existent animal";

— Clinical questionnaire for the detection and evaluation of neurotic conditions;

- Assessment of neuropsychic stress, asthenia, depressed mood;

- Questionnaire of characterological accentuation of personality and neuropsychological instability;

— Questionnaire for determining the level of neuroticism and psychopathization (UNP).

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1. Learn to understand your emotions and feelings , determine the very moment when a wave of anxiety approaches. Just say "Stop!" bad thoughts, fear, excitement, panic.
2. Respond to trouble "after the fact" . It makes no sense to pre-invent the bad consequences of any situation.
3. How to overcome suspiciousness? Stick to the positive wave. Gradually move away from, trying to focus on good things. Think of yourself and those around you in a positive way. Live "here and now", find the positive and enjoy it.
4. Try to plan, not predict . Maintain common sense at all times and in everything. Develop logical thinking that will allow you, regardless of the situation. If there are no grounds, do not make accusatory assumptions.
5. How to deal with suspiciousness? Change your attitude towards people . First you need to understand why there is no trust in others. Get a notebook, write down your feelings, each time make notes in it when someone humiliated, offended, betrayed you. Be sure to look for reasons for the behavior. In this way, you will quickly come to your senses and realize what exactly caused such emotions.
6. How to deal with anxiety: try to look at others from the other side . It is important to understand that they exist in almost identical conditions to you. Always put yourself in the other person's shoes to see life through someone else's eyes. If a person offended you for biased reasons, try to understand him. You should not get hung up on petty situations; it is easier to perceive other people's mistakes. Stop thinking that every person you meet is harmful. Learn to trust others and yourself. If you push people away because of your suspiciousness, distrust, suspicion, then you will remain alone. The vicious circle must be broken.
7. Develop personality traits such as: confidence in itself, , self-discipline, optimism, cheerfulness, the ability to trust people.
8. Do not project the mistakes of the past onto the present and future . If you have previously suffered a failure in your career (personal relationships, friendships, etc.), you should not transfer this drama to your current life. Learn to let go of the past, become a wise person who does not pull a heavy load.
9. Get rid of negative thoughts . As soon as a bad thought creeps in, cut it off and throw it out of your head. Replace the empty space with pleasant memories or joyful events. Don't argue, don't analyze, cut the thought off forever.

How to overcome suspiciousness?

Suspicious people need the help of loved ones, ask and even demand it, but at the same time they suspect them of infidelity and betrayal. If among your acquaintances, friends, relatives there is a suspicious person, then follow a few practical tips for communicating with him:

What do we have to do:

1. Show that you are a reliable person, sometimes little things are enough for this: do not be late, respond to his letters on time, in fact show that you are a prudent person.
2. Help him realize that everything is not so bad if it does happen.
3. Joke softly and kindly.
4. Suggest to see a specialist.

What not to do:

1. Fall into slavery.
2. Arrange surprises, even pleasant ones.
3. Share your own concerns.
4. Talk about difficult topics.

Even the usual, and not pathological, form of suspiciousness causes a lot of inconvenience to its owner. And if you need to fight the latter with the help of specialists: psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, then you can try to eradicate the former yourself.

The article was prepared with the participation of Belozerova Ya. V., Goncharova V. Yu., Zhurinskaya V. O., Stovba E. A., Sychevsky O. V.

Are you a hypocritical person? How do you deal with jealousy? As usual, we welcome questions and comments on the article.

Master's student of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, specialty - "Cognitive psychology in education and management." Has a basic education in psychology, graduated from the Pacific State University. Currently, she works as a teacher-psychologist in the department of social services for adult citizens. Professional interests: study of cognitive processes, including mnemonics techniques; study of emotional intelligence of adolescents and adults.

If you notice hidden motives in the words and actions of others, treat people with distrust, thinking that they want to harm you or lie, most likely you are more suspicious than other people. Paranoids are always looking for a hidden meaning in everything and do not calm down until they find it. To manage your condition, learn to relax by engaging in soothing activities and practicing deep breathing techniques. Work on improving relationships with other people. Listen carefully to them, be interested in them, ask questions and do not rush to draw conclusions.

Steps

Coping Strategies

Determine if you are paranoid or anxious. As a rule, the cause of anxiety and paranoia is fear, which manifests itself in excessive anxiety and a sense of impending danger. Paranoia can be defined as the unfounded belief or fear that something bad will happen. Often a person suffering from paranoia is suspicious of other people, thinking that they are the cause of trouble. The feeling of being threatened and the exaggerated nature of the individual's beliefs are precisely these symptoms of paranoia that distinguish it from ordinary fear and anxiety.

Learn to relax. Any stress can cause the development of psychiatric pathologies, including paranoid thoughts and feelings. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to relax. If you feel like your symptoms are getting worse, try to relax. With an increase in symptoms, the body reacts with a state of combat readiness. You may experience intense fear. This condition is very debilitating. Be prepared for symptoms that may appear at this point (rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, stomach cramps). Try to relax. Practice guided mental imagery and deep breathing techniques. Also, at times like these, try to pray.

• Focus on each inhalation and exhalation. Take slow and deep breaths in and out. With each inhalation and exhalation, you will calm down, focusing on your sensations.
• Meditate. Meditation will help you relax and focus on your feelings. In addition, meditation improves well-being and fills with inner happiness.

1. Keep a diary. If you want to understand the cause of your condition, try writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Recall life situations and describe under what circumstances you felt helpless and humiliated. Also, write down how you felt when someone hurt you or betrayed you. By writing down your thoughts and feelings, it will be easier for you to understand yourself. In addition, you will be able to see the connection between your thoughts and external influences.

   • Write down your childhood memories that may have triggered your suspiciousness. Do you remember situations when you could not determine whether a person is lying or telling the truth?
   • Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trusted completely?

2. Consult with a psychotherapist. Suspicion and paranoia often lead to mistrust, so try to bring trust back into your life with the help of a therapist. Get ready for a long-term treatment. If you have experienced an event that left a serious traumatic imprint on your whole life, a therapist will help you in this difficult situation. A therapist can help you learn relaxation techniques to help reduce your paranoid symptoms.

   • Do your best not to be suspicious of the proposed treatment; choose a doctor you can trust. You must be completely sure that the doctor will not share your personal information with others. Remember that psychotherapists do not disclose confidential information received from clients.
   • A therapist can help you figure out what is causing you to distrust others. In addition, he will teach you how to properly build relationships with other people.

   Make changes to the relationship

   1. Strive for open and honest communication. If you want to keep your relationship strong and secure, develop your communication skills. Ask people to speak to you directly and honestly, without sarcasm. When you communicate with a person, direct your energy to listen carefully and understand him. If you don't understand something, ask questions. Show interest in the interlocutor and do not rush to draw conclusions.

      • If you start to doubt a person's actions or words, ask him a question. However, don't blame him. For example, if your partner is about to leave and you are suspicious, ask them, “When are you coming back? I want to spend time with you tonight."

   2. Choose people you can trust. If you find it difficult to trust people, then it most likely affects your ability to make friends. Of course, some people are not to be trusted. However, this does not mean that you can not trust anyone. Think about what you can lose if you doubt a person who is trustworthy - their time, presence, love, and maybe even friendship.

      • For example, if someone calls and says that they are late, it means that the person will come later and nothing else. Even if this happens regularly, you should not think that being late is connected with something serious. Most likely, this is due to the bad habit of a person to always be late.
      • If you find it difficult to trust a person, say to yourself, "I believe that the person is telling me the truth."

   3. Do not transfer events from the past to the present. Perhaps your ex-partner betrayed you, and now you are afraid to build a relationship with the person, fearing that he might betray you too. The past should not influence your behavior in the present and future. Do your best not to let past bad experiences affect your present. Also, when faced with a similar situation, you should not consider it as your past experience. Restoring trust starts with you, not with anyone else.

      • Learn from the past, even the bad ones. Strive to ensure that your past becomes a stepping stone for you, and not a burden pulling you down.

      Work on improving your thoughts

      1. Keep a diary detailing your paranoid thoughts. Whenever paranoid thoughts come to your mind, write them down in a journal. Describe the situation in detail, with whom or what it is connected with, as well as other important details. This will help you identify triggers that contribute to paranoid thoughts.

      2. Strive to master logical thinking. Be guided by common sense and logic when you react to this or that situation. If you don't know anything about the current situation, don't make assumptions. Strive for a calm and logical approach. Before drawing any conclusions, ask questions and consider all the facts.

         • Distrust destroys relationships. Don't give in to paranoid thoughts. First make sure it's true. Ask yourself: Is this true? What evidence is there for this?"

      3. Stay optimistic and hope for the best. When you are constantly busy doing something that is really important to you, there is no time for suspicion. Do things that are beneficial and spend time with people who can distract you from negative thoughts. Take advantage of the opportunities that will surely open up before you when you are ready for it.

         • Instead of expecting people to betray you or hurt you, expect that only good things will happen to you and that you will meet wonderful people who will share their experiences with you.
         • Build relationships with people who can teach you something and also positively influence the way you think.

      4. Pay attention to the actions of people who deserve your trust. Paranoid people are convinced that no one can be trusted and that anyone can betray. You probably tend to look for confirmation of these thoughts. However, by doing so, you will not be able to develop trust in people. Instead of focusing on what people can betray you and how they can do it, focus on people's behavior that proves they can be trusted.

         • For example, if you made an appointment with someone and the person showed up on time, tell yourself that this person is trustworthy.