paranoid ideas. See what "Paranoia" is in other dictionaries. How and Why Paranoid Disorder Occurs

The relevance of the question "how to get rid of paranoia?" is undoubted due to the fact that such a syndrome not only accompanies many mental illness, but may be partially observed in seemingly healthy people.

Paranoia is a syndrome that accompanies many mental illnesses.

If we are talking about paranoid delusional disorder, its main features may be unjustified distrust, as well as suspicion towards other people. But such symptoms as hallucinations and other psychotic manifestations, the disorder is usually not accompanied.

How to get rid of paranoia? First of all, it is necessary to understand that the term "paranoia" refers to the most different states. To pick up suitable treatment, it is desirable to put correct diagnosis, determine the nature and underlying causes.

Without a doctor's prescription, taking certain antipsychotic drugs for paranoia can be very dangerous for health and does not guarantee a cure for the paranoid state.

It often happens that a person suffering from paranoia not only does not want to know how to deal with it, but is not even in a hurry to admit that he has this disorder. People (as a rule, from relatives) who try to explain and point out to the patient his illness are automatically included in the list of "enemies".

About paranoia in general

How to get rid of paranoia on your own? On the initial stage diseases, this is quite real, although the opportunity to seek help from a psychotherapist should still not be missed. Of course, you will need understanding and support from loved ones.

The absence adequate therapy threatens the development of psychosis, which will be much more difficult to cope with.

The described disorder can be suspected in people who show inadequate jealousy or pathological suspicion. For example, there are completely unfounded suspicions that a loved one is cheating, although there is no evidence or even hints of this. The state is out of control.

Sometimes the reason for the appearance of paranoid thoughts is the use narcotic drugs or alcoholic beverages. It even happens that a person manages to get rid of the addiction directly, but the symptoms remain due to the fact that brain activity cannot be restored quickly.

How to treat paranoia? Of course, it is best to contact a psychotherapist so that he can:

carefully examine the patient;
carry out the necessary tests;
ask the right questions.

Thus, he manages to assess the complexity of the situation and understand how to get rid of the disease. At the same time, the patient does not always agree with his diagnosis, because he is sure that he is absolutely healthy. The most difficult thing is to convince him to be treated. If you manage to convince, as psychiatrists convince: "Half the job is done."

Hospitalization is usually not required because the disorder is treated at home. Hospital rehabilitation is required only for those diagnosed with a severe case.

In addition to psychotherapy courses, the treatment of paranoia may require the use of medications. In cases where the disorder has developed against the background of addiction, collective therapy will be needed.

The patient should learn to paint his own thoughts in a positive color, for which it is necessary that:

he was surrounded by a calm atmosphere;
did not have to deal with stressful situations;
there were people nearby who were ready to provide support in difficult times.

The paranoid still needs to be persuaded to be treated

The benefits of psychotherapeutic techniques should also not be forgotten. A relationship of trust must be established between doctor and patient in order to successful treatment there were no barriers.

Such patients are very prone to alienation, and therefore the task of the doctor is the need to overcome this alienation and cure paranoid fears.

Among the signs of paranoia in men and women, one can single out distorted thinking when obsessions, as it seems to the patient, of particular importance.

At the same time, the patient's condition changes regularly - it either worsens or weakens again.

About the causes and factors

The disease can be provoked:

disturbed protein metabolism in the brain;
genetic factor;
neurological disorders;
Alzheimer's disease;
disorders in the functioning of the brain associated with age;
difficult life situations;
prolonged loneliness.

If you subject the above factors to a thorough analysis, you can make up the so-called risk group, that is, people who are most prone to the described mental disorder:

those who suffer from alcohol and drug addiction;
elderly people;
those who can get sick due to heredity;
people prone to depression;
men under the age of thirty;
those who suffer from diseases related to the brain.

About symptoms

Symptoms and signs of paranoia in men and women may include:

suspicions based on nothing in relation to other people;
hostility and quick-tempered aggressiveness;
doubt about the reliability of even the closest people;
rejection of any criticism.

But this state should not be confused with a feeling of anxiety:

First, paranoia is more constant compared to anxiety.
Secondly, a person in anxiety may think something like this: I may die in an accident", while the paranoid believes: " Someone set up an accident to kill me". Agree that the difference between these maxims is significant!

Hostility and irascibility towards others typical signs paranoia

you need to ask several close people with whom you communicate daily whether they consider your thinking to be quite adequate;
you should find out whether the suspicion that has appeared in you is justified;
should try to get rid of dependence on alcohol or drugs, if this is present, it is generally undesirable to use substances that can affect the psyche;
understand if it can be strange behavior automatic response of the psyche to a stressful situation (as a kind of protection).

Although, of course, it will be possible to accurately diagnose the condition during a visit to a psychotherapist.

Types of paranoia

Depending on the symptoms and signs of paranoia in men and women, the following types occur:

acute - the development of delusional ideas and the possibility of stupor;
expansive - the patient is sincerely sure that he is very talented in something, although in most cases he has no abilities in this area;
alcoholic - the progression of the disease based on dependence on alcoholic beverages, uncontrolled jealousy and persecution mania;
struggle - it seems to the patient that everywhere and always his rights are violated;
conscience - self-criticism develops excessively to the desire to punish oneself, that is, self-mutilation;
sensitive - propensity to create conflict situations, abrupt behavior in the presence of vulnerability and sensitivity;
involutional - usually female representatives during menopause suffer from this;
persecutory - sensations of constant persecution, the development of periodic delirium;
hypochondriacal - manifestations of suspiciousness and hypochondria;
lust - the appearance of obsessive thoughts, some of which are erotic in nature.

Only a psychotherapist can determine the specific type of illness, who will tell you how to deal with it, how to cure paranoia.

In psychoanalysis, you can read about interesting case Schreber, mentioned, in particular, by Sigmund Freud. It's about about a German judge who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and described his illness in a book called The Nerves of the Pathological Patient.

« I have a paranoid disorder - what should I do?” - such a question can be found on the Internet quite often. The correct answer to it: to address to the psychotherapist.

With paranoia of jealousy, a woman can be jealous of her beloved, even for this there is no reason

Features of treatment

How do you treat paranoia?

Doctors do not consider this disorder as a psychosis, despite all the problems that it causes the lives of the patient himself and those around him.

As mentioned above, the first step is to recognize the problem. This is not always easy to achieve.

As for drug treatment, most often they start with taking antipsychotics, like Moditen-depot or Haloperedol decanoate. However, it should not be assumed that only the use of these drugs will get rid of obsessive fears. Therapy must be comprehensive. If the case is severe and neglected, one cannot do without hospitalization with a long therapeutic course and corrective procedures for the emotional background.

Self-medication is strictly prohibited important information for those who wish to treat paranoia at home, relying supposedly on some real cases of cure without the participation of a doctor. it high risk aggravate the patient's condition and bring the matter to more serious mental disorders.

Psychotherapeutic methods

Among the types of treatment of paranoia, an important place is occupied by the basic areas of psychotherapy:

cognitive-behavioral- when the patient is taught to control emotions, master the mental process, set up positive thinking and reduce aggression towards others.
Gestalt psychotherapy- work with the emotions of a paranoid person so that he can accept this world in integrity and find himself in society.
Family- work not only with the patient, but also with his relatives, the search for optimal ways of relationships that would improve the patient's condition, would contribute to his recovery.
Work in groups and individual.

Hallucinations in this disorder are not observed (with the exception of the acute form), but even without them there are enough symptoms that seriously worsen the life of a person and those around him. The help of a qualified psychotherapist may be exactly what is needed.

Medical treatment

Do any paranoia pills help? Indeed, a doctor can prescribe drug treatment this disease (which occurs, as a rule, simultaneously with psychotherapeutic sessions).

The most commonly prescribed medications are:

Traditional antipsychotics also called neuroleptics. They block dopamine receptors in human brain, and it is this hormone, according to scientists, that is responsible for the development of paranoid ideas. Speaking of neuroleptics, we can recall Navan, Mellaril, Thorazin, Haldol and others.
Atypical antipsychotics. These drugs are considered more modern and effective because their action is aimed at blocking dopamine, as well as serotonin (another hormone responsible for delusional thoughts). In this case, we can talk about Geodon, Clozaril, Zyprex, Risperdal, and so on.
Antidepressants with tranquilizers. The physician may prescribe sedatives with a high degree of paranoid anxiety, psychological depression and the presence of problems with sleep.

Do antipsychotics cure the described disease? As already mentioned, monotherapy in this case is ineffective. Only a set of suitable therapeutic measures will achieve positive results.

Sometimes a doctor will use hypnosis to treat certain types of paranoia.

Folk remedies

How to get rid of the paranoid disorder of infidelity (the constant feeling that you are being cheated on), persecution, distrust, health and jealousy? Can you heal it yourself? Are there any cases of those who actually recovered from the disease? Listening to the advice of a psychologist is the most correct and first action on the part of the patient.

But on early stages you can try to overcome the disease through its treatment folk remedies at home:

ginger- It is also considered effective when you have to deal with anxiety and depression.
Brahmi- This plant culture is very in demand in Ayurveda. It helps relieve anxiety, cope with stress, and calms overexcited nerves.
Ashwagandha- a tool actively used in the treatment of schizophrenic and other psychoses. It helps to eliminate the feeling of anxiety, relieves fears, calms panic. The course of treatment is a month of 40 milliliters per day.

The best way to treat paranoia would be to consult a psychotherapist

So is paranoia treated at home or not? We would recommend not relying on own forces in the question mental health. Still, only a qualified psychotherapist will be able to make a correct diagnosis and, based on it, prescribe a suitable therapeutic course. If you make a mistake, you run the risk of treating the wrong thing at all and, accordingly, not the way it is required, which will not bring any positive results.

The disease of paranoia implies that a person suffering from this pathology is suspicious and confident that others want to offend him and cause harm. Anything and everything in the paranoid's environment is subject to distrust and suspicion. Although it is absolutely clear to objective observers that in fact there is no danger either in the words or in the actions of others.

According to some scientific studies, 6% of women and 13% of men have a chronic distrust of the motivation of others in relation to them. But only 0.5-0.25% of women and men can actually be diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder. Interestingly, men have paranoid traits and mental disorders with paranoid symptoms are more common than in women.

The term "paranoia" was first used in 1863 by the German Karl Ludwig Kalbaum, who was a psychiatrist. After that, they began to believe that paranoia is such mental disorders as delusions of persecution, delusions of grandeur and similar deviations.

We can say that all people are subject to paranoia in one way or another. Causes of paranoia in healthy people:

stressful situation at work
difficulties in personal life.

How to get rid of paranoia in this case? Overcoming crisis moments in a person's life will help to correct the situation.

Definition of paranoia

Each of us has heard the words “paranoid” or “paranoia” at least once in our lives. However, not everyone knows what meaning is hidden behind these concepts. Paranoia is considered serious mental disorders which are manifested by exaggerated and unreasonable distrust of others.

Paranoia is a disease more often in the elderly. However, it happens that the disease is not associated with age. Often the cause of paranoia can be destructive changes that occur in the brain during Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and others. Drugs and alcohol also often provoke paranoia.

Allocate a large number of subtypes this disease, for example, paranoia due to the use of alcohol, which develops with the abuse of strong drinks. Persecutory paranoia is a disorder characterized by delusions of persecution. Paranoia of conscience causes self-flagellation and the development of depressive states.

Symptoms

How does paranoia manifest itself? Symptoms of this disease can be different. Signs of paranoia:

the emergence of ridiculous ideas that are firmly held;
constant logical development of these ideas;
paranoid ideas arise from auditory hallucinations, regularly delivering information for delirium.

Paranoia can have many faces. The symptoms of this disease are as follows:

Self-referential thinking: the patient feels that even absolutely strangers there is always talk about him around.
The feeling that the thoughts of the paranoid person can be read by other people (thought broadcasting).
Magical thinking, which is characterized by the paranoid's feeling that they can use their thoughts to influence the actions and thoughts of others.
Thought Conclusion: The paranoid person feels that others are stealing her thoughts.
Feeling that the thoughts of others are wedged into his own thoughts. This is called thought insertion.
Appeal Idea: The paranoid believes that TV and/or radio are addressing him specifically.

Stages of development of paranoia

There are several stages of chronic paranoia. The first is preparatory. For a certain time, delirium does not yet appear in the behavior and conversation of the patient. The person continues to live and work as before, but he becomes more prone to suspicion and incredulity. The patient comes to the conclusion that others began to treat him differently, and begins to show aggression towards fictional enemies. In his head, a plan for self-defense is ripening. During this period, others are not yet aware of the presence of the disease. And only after a certain number of months does the character of the patient change.

Further, the disease passes into the second stage - delusional. The patient begins to develop paranoid plans in more detail. This can go on for many years. A person has ridiculous ideas, which are expressed for the most part in persecution. He often feels in his life the presence of certain spies threatening him, forcing him to perform certain actions, including against his will. This compromises, destroys, harasses the patient, brings him to suicidal moods and puts him in a hopeless situation. A person becomes embittered, often conflicts, regularly complains and writes angry letters to various authorities.

Paranoia: causes

An attack of paranoia can often cause depressive states, strong emotional stress, long isolation from society, low self-esteem, as well as physical or moral and spiritual loneliness. Paranoia is a heightened sense of reality that all people are subject to in one way or another. Sometimes paranoia is expressed in mild personality disorders.

The chemical and physical processes occurring in the brain in this disease. However, paranoia can be a symptom of various psychiatric disorders and is also found in some physical illness. In addition, when taking certain medicines or chemical substances there may be signs of paranoia in people who are completely normal outside the effect of these medications.

Thus, paranoia is often part of the symptom complex of schizophrenia. Due to the fact that patients are often isolated from reality, they suffer from hallucinations, are characterized by blunted or absent emotions, disorganized thinking and behavior.

Diagnosis of paranoia

So paranoid personality disorder Diagnosed when a person has no other symptoms of schizophrenia.

Paranoid personality disorder is diagnosed when a person suffering from this pathology has at least four of the following:

Constant suspicion of lies and deceptions in the world around.
Frequent preoccupation with fidelity or the possibility of trust in certain individuals.
Fearing betrayal, patients cannot trust others.
Harmless events or comments may be distorted and perceived as threatening.
Prolonged claims to other people, the latter being perceived as threatening or insulting in some way.
The words or certain actions of the surrounding people may seem aggressive to some extent, and hence the readiness to counterattack at any moment.
Repeated unsubstantiated accusations of a spouse or partner of infidelity.

Treatment

Paranoia is considered a disease that is very difficult to treat. Treatment is difficult and takes a long period of time due to the fact that:

people suffering from this pathology rarely seek specialized help;
patients very rarely accept the fact that their disease is paranoia;
even close people who seek medical help are perceived by the sick as the worst enemies;
if medical measures are still carried out, then patients are confident in the guilt of others, including doctors, in all their troubles and troubles.

Thus, if the patient is not aware of his pathology, then the therapy will be ineffective.

How to get rid of paranoia?

Identifying the cause of the disease is the first step in the treatment of paranoia. If the disorder was caused by an easily reversible situation, for example, this side effect from medicinal product, then the elimination of the situation (refusal of narcotic drugs) will lead to getting rid of the symptoms of the disease.

Patients suffering from other diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or other forms of oligophrenia, Huntington's disease or Parkinson's disease, feel better when the underlying disease is treated. As the underlying pathology progresses, the symptoms of paranoia may eventually return or worsen.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or other forms of psychotherapy are very effective in treating some patients. This type therapy helps to increase a person's awareness of their motivations and actions, helps in the interpretation of signals environment, changing dysfunctional behavior.

Adequate social adaptation, constant support of relatives and friends contribute to recovery.

Medical treatment

The following medications are used:

traditional antipsychotics. They have another name - neuroleptics. Their use has been possible since the 1950s. These substances block dopamine receptors in the brain. This is the principle of their action. This hormone is a neurotransmitter. There is an opinion that dopamine is involved in the development of various crazy ideas. Among this group of drugs are Thorazin, Haldol, Prolixin, Navan, Stelazin, Mellaril and Trilafon.
atypical antipsychotics. This group of drugs is more modern and effective. When they are used, blocking of serotonin receptors, a neurotransmitter, which is also involved in the formation of delirium, occurs. This group are Risperdal, Serokel, Clozaril, Zyprexa and Geodon.
Other medicines. Perhaps the appointment of tranquilizers and antidepressants. In the presence of high level anxiety or sleep problems, sedatives are used.

Prognosis for paranoia

Many factors are important in predicting the outcome of the disease. For example, not the last role is played by the warehouse of the patient's character, as well as the form of delusional disorder, certain life circumstances. After all, if health care will be unavailable and there is no desire to be treated, then there will be no effect from such therapy.

If the cause of paranoia is the presence of an underlying mental pathology, such as schizophrenia, therapeutic measures will be carried out for life. The patient's condition may improve somewhat with remission. Exacerbation can be observed with various stressful situations or changing the course of chemotherapy.

When paranoia occurs due to the use of drugs or medicines treatment can only consist in refusing to take these substances.

Paranoia is a rare psychosis, the only manifestation of which is the gradual development of a systematized and logically constructed delusion. At the same time, there will be neither a personality change characteristic of schizophrenia, nor disturbances in thinking.

This term has been used before. AT modern classification mental illness there is no such diagnosis, and instead expose chronic delusional disorder.

Paranoia is now synonymous with paranoid syndrome, the main manifestation of which is the primary systematized monothematic delirium.

The debut of a mental disorder falls on mature age- after 30 years. Sometimes a disease is diagnosed only after a person has committed some kind of crime (for example, destroyed some important documents or killed someone).

Causes

The causes of paranoia have not yet been definitively established. It is known that mental disorders can occur as a result of endogenous factors(it is possible to establish that one of the close relatives suffered endogenous psychosis, for example, schizophrenia or), and as a result external factors(for example, due to intoxication).

In the pathogenesis of the disease, the main role is given to the pathological processing of real life situations and conflicts. That is, there were events and problems, only a person perceives them a little differently, makes incorrect conclusions.

Some people are predisposed to the development of paranoia. As a rule, these are strong unbalanced people having advanced thinking. They are distinguished by incredulity, overestimated conceit, despotism, accuracy, captiousness, increased vulnerability, excessive pride and weak criticality.

Manifestations of the disease

As a rule, paranoia begins with an overvalued idea, which, although it occupies a dominant place in the mind of a person, is able to convince him with logical arguments. Over time, overvalued ideas develop into crazy ones, which are no longer subject to any logical correction.

Slowly but progressively, their own delusional system is being formed, which is the leading sign of paranoia, new facts are only perceived as confirmation of their own ideas.

The delusion that occurs in clinical picture diseases, is distinguished by resistance, it is poorly amenable to drug treatment.

When communicating with a sick person, it is difficult to immediately identify contradictions (“everything is somehow like this, but a little bit different”).

In most cases, the mood of such people is slightly elevated.

All mental activity a person submits to a delusional goal. Patients stubbornly strive to find confirmation of their “guesses”, they try to convince others of their ideas, they bring new arguments. They can write complaints and accusatory letters to various authorities, turn to the leadership, ask for support in order to punish the “enemies”.

If you touch on another topic of conversation that is not related to the crazy idea, then it is usually not possible or very difficult to identify any other symptoms of paranoia (including deviations in the field of thinking or emotions).

A person suffering from paranoia can cope with his work duties for a long time, he will not particularly stand out among others if none of his employees is included in the delusional system.

Classification

There are the following clinical forms paranoia:

delusions of persecution
querulant nonsense (defending one's rights in case of damage);
delusions of an erotic nature;
delusions of grandeur (nonsense of inventions, discoveries).

There is another classification of paranoia, according to which they distinguish:

expansive paranoia - it is based on an active struggle for the approval of one's ideas;
sensitive - a person becomes closed, passive, overly sensitive, because others do not share his ideas;
paranoia of desires - patients believe that their desires are "fulfilled", for example, one of my patients was sure that he was the husband of Sofia Rotaru, but did not even mention his late wife.

Characteristics of individual forms

In addition, there are such types of paranoia:

Persecutory paranoia (delusions of persecution) - develops gradually and slowly, against the backdrop of life's failures. A person begins to think that someone is following him, controlling him, and over time he is “convinced” that he is being persecuted. Initially, one person falls under “suspicion”, but then the field of “suspects” expands, develops into an organized group. This form it is dangerous because the patient begins to actively take “countermeasures”, may begin to complain, defend his rights, and may even commit a crime on this basis.
The paranoia of jealousy, as a rule, arises from the fact that it begins to seem to a person that someone is not indifferent to his wife, and she is not against such courtship. Gradually, this delusional system is expanding, more and more confirmations of the infidelity of the spouse appear, including those relating to the past. More and more new men are attributed to the wife. As a rule, the paranoia of jealousy is characteristic of men. It can also be called differently as alcoholic paranoia, this disorder is described in more detail in the article about.
The paranoia of love, on the contrary, is characteristic of women. It begins to seem to a woman that some man is in love with her, gives her all kinds of signs of attention, but something prevents him from being honest to the end, directly talking about his feelings. And then the patient begins to take active steps to help, they begin to sort things out with the imaginary "groom". This is fraught with scandals, especially if the man is married.
Reformist paranoia - a person is convinced that he is destined to do great things. Such people begin to invent new religions, unite religious denominations to promote a new social system.
Paranoia of invention - the patient begins to consider himself a great scientist or inventor. On this basis, world "discoveries" appear. And since the person himself is not critical of everything connected with the crazy system, he begins to interpret all attempts at dissuasion as envy, hostility from competitors, etc.
Hypochondriacal paranoia - a person suffers from an abundance of thoughts about having a serious incurable disease, looking for all kinds of confirmation of this. He begins to turn to doctors, demand treatment, sometimes surgical. It is an extreme degree.

paranoia and schizophrenia

There was a time when paranoia was synonymous with schizophrenia. However, in our time it has been established that these two pathologies differ.

Schizophrenia is a progressive disease in which, over time, emotional disturbances, thought disorders, and a personality defect join.

With paranoia, all symptoms are limited to systematized monothematic delusions. No personality or emotional disturbances this disorder does not develop. The pathology of thinking can be traced only as far as the crazy idea is concerned, in all other respects a person can behave adequately, maintaining professional and social adaptation for a long time.

A modern person is regularly faced with a lot of loads, stresses and chronic fatigue. Often human psyche can't stand excessive loads and crashes. Develop various neuroses, depression, phobias appear.

Paranoia can also visit a person - a mental disorder, one of the most complex and mysterious. What is paranoia and how does it manifest itself, is a sick person dangerous for others - let's take an excursion into the secrets of the human psyche.

Paranoia is one of the most mysterious mental disorders.

Paranoid disorder is a particular disorder of thinking and perception of reality. The disease is accompanied by the appearance of delusional, overvalued ideas for the patient. But at the same time, a person suffering from paranoia retains clarity of logical reasoning in those areas that are not captured by delusional ideas.

A paranoid person is a person who can be perceived by others as quite healthy and adequate. People notice "some oddities" in behavior, but do not attach any importance to this. Paranoids maintain social contacts and develop them productively.

This feature of the manifestation of paranoid disease is dangerous for the patient himself. After all, paranoids usually come to the attention of doctors only after sharp deterioration conditions when the pathology develops into a severe degree.

Difficulties in identifying the disease occur, and if the patient occupies a certain position in society, he is respected among relatives. Subordinates and relatives listen to the paranoid and share, support his sick views and ideas.

Signs of Paranoid Personality Disorder

People around understand that something is wrong with a person when a certain inadequacy slips in his behavior, accompanied by severe conflicts. When the disorder has already developed into an irreversible stage.

How paranoia develops

The disease is characterized by slow, gradual development. Light suspicion that appears in the early stages of the disease gradually develops into a permanent phobia. To understand who a paranoid is, imagine an eternally suspicious person, gloomy and incredulous. The patient sees hidden malicious intent in everything, he perceives those around him as potential enemies.

Paranoia is rich in its manifestations. But the development of all types of the disease goes through two main stages:

self-hypnosis. it initial stages the development of pathology, when the symptoms are not yet noticeable to others. Paranoia is just beginning to progress in the mind of the individual.

Symptoms of the disorder

The development of a crazy idea and the patient's complete concentration on it. The second stage is very long. In the process of development, the paranoid becomes more and more irritable and suspicious. At this stage, it is no longer possible to cope with the disorder on your own. Now the disease develops as follows:

Any negative event, an accident, warms up the paranoid rudiments in the patient, intensifying the disease.
The paranoid creates in his own subconscious certain "conspiracy theories" that he sees everywhere.
A sick person begins to be very critical of everything, seeing everywhere confirmation that intrigues are being woven against him.
Gradually, the paranoid personality becomes more and more immersed in inner world moving away from reality. Man now exists and realizes himself only among his own illusory delirium.
Delusions of grandeur develop. The paranoid feels that someone is following him, suspicion increases, which takes on painful forms.

When a person is in similar condition, it is almost impossible to "reach out" to him. He does not perceive reasonable conjectures that contradict his sick perception. The development of the disease takes a long time. At first, when the symptoms do not yet appear, patients with paranoia calmly get along in society, communicate, go to work.

Features of a person suffering from paranoia

Paranoid ideas have not yet become public knowledge. Quietly dormant in the depths of the subconscious, they fit perfectly into the daily routine of the patient and further convince him of the veracity of illusions. The disease slowly develops. Now crazy ideas can result in an attack of paranoia.

The main symptoms of the disorder

Productive treatment of paranoia can take place only in the first stages of the disease. A progressive, long-term disorder that is difficult to correct. The first signs of pathology are almost invisible, but still, they are. alarm calls can serve the following symptoms paranoia:

awakening in speech, deeds megalomania;
the appearance of hallucinations (visual or auditory);
development of irritability, sometimes reaching open sudden hostility;
increased jealousy, it becomes stronger and often provokes conflicts in the family;
the formation of pronounced resentment, even harmless jokes can become causes of conflict;
a decrease in attention to oneself, carelessness in clothes begins to appear more and more often, a drop in self-criticism;
frequent reduction of the conversation to any one idea, talking about which, the patient comes into heightened excitement.

What is dangerous pathology

Speaking about what paranoia means, the definition of the disease can be given based on many other types of mental illness. After all, in the background paranoid syndrome other dangerous disorders. More often paranoia provokes the development of:

neuroses;
hallucinations;
panic attacks;
serious depressions;
antisocial disorders.

Anhedonia, one of the most difficult and mysterious mental illnesses, becomes a faithful companion of paranoia.. Anhedonia is characterized by the inability of the individual to emotional manifestations.

Anhedonia is characterized by the development of an apathetic state. A person completely loses interest in life, is not able to enjoy any action.

The end result of the syndrome is the appearance of severe depression and suicidal thoughts. In order to prevent the manifestation of dangerous tendencies, you should know what exactly causes the development of the syndrome.

Reasons for paranoia

The exact factors provoking paranoid disorder, doctors have not established. In the course of long studies, a relationship was revealed between the development of the disease and the violation of the protein metabolism of brain cells. The prerequisites for this imbalance have not yet been identified, experts tend to heredity factors and the occurrence of negative situational problems.

Hierarchy of paranoid disorder

The main causes of this serious mental disorder include the following factors:

Heredity.
Severe traumatic brain injury.
Prolonged stressful situation.
Drug/alcohol addiction.
Diseases that impair brain function.
Psychological trauma received in childhood.
Forced isolation, depriving a person of habitual communication.

Age. Conducted medical research proved that paranoia is related to age-related diseases. A direct relationship between the development of the disease and the age of the patient was revealed.

If the paranoia that occurs in young people develops for a long time, then in the older generation the disease rapidly passes into a severe phase.

More often, paranoid disorder in old age occurs against the background of already existing chronic diseases and mental disorders. It:

atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels;
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's diseases.

Senile paranoia (involutionary) progresses rapidly, leading a person to complete insanity. Involutional paranoia significantly shortens the life of the patient.

signs paranoid disorder

Taking medication. The cause of paranoid disorder can also be long-term, uncontrolled intake some medicines. Paranoia provokes the use of:

amphetamines;
psychodysleptics;
narcotic drugs.

personality traits. Paranoia "loves" people who are distinguished by congenital suspiciousness and weakness of character, emotional, sensitive. Such people from childhood painfully experience even small failures. They are paranoid tendencies are innate.

Future paranoids tend to overestimate self. They are completely incapable of forgiveness. These are maximalists with a heightened sense of self-worth.

People at risk

Considering the causes leading to the development of a paranoid disorder, one can distinguish in separate group people who are predisposed to illness. It:

Men over 30.
Elderly people (age 55+).
Victims of physical abuse.
Possessing a predisposing to paranoia character.
Suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.
Having relatives suffering from any mental illness.

Types of paranoid disorder

The main feature of paranoia is the presence of some delusional, obsessive idea. The paranoid gets hung up on completely different, sometimes even unexpected things. In this regard, doctors divide the disease into several varieties:

Persecutory (fear of persecution). The condition is accompanied by delirium.
Paranoia of lust (against the background love relationship). The disease is manifested by delirium of an erotic / love orientation.
Alcoholic (pathology develops against the background of alcoholism). Such a state is characterized by manifestations of an extreme degree of jealousy and persecution.
Hypochondriacal (fear of illness). The paranoid is convinced that he has an incurable disease. The disorder of this type is accompanied by hallucinations, delusions.
Paranoia of conscience. The disease manifests itself in an overly strict attitude towards one's own personality. The patient blames himself for all sins and suffers even for the slightest mistaken offense.
Involutionary. More often, paranoia of this type is formed in women on the eve of menopause. The disorder develops in acute form accompanied by delusions and hallucinations.
Expansive (creativity). The individual imagines himself to be a super-great artist, poet, thinker, musician. Not receiving recognition, the patient shows an aggressive, embittered form of behavior.
Sensitive. Sensitive paranoia is caused by physical damage to the brain. The disease is manifested by the desire of the paranoid to create a conflict, to quarrel. The quarrel is accompanied by a noisy showdown, reaching a fight.

Treatment options for paranoid disorder

Paranoia in the advanced phase, already established, is very difficult to treat. What should be done to people who are experiencing a manifestation of the disorder in loved one? Find an experienced psychiatrist.

The doctor must be able to enter into the confidence of the sick person. It is very difficult to do this with a paranoid obsession (especially stalking obsessions).

When carrying out psycho-corrective measures, the psychiatrist will work with the patient on the following tasks:

return of joy to life;
stopping excessive suspicion;
restoration of a healthy life position;
acceptance of people around them for who they are;
the ability to find pluses even in stressful minutes of life;
inhibition in the patient the development of a distorted perception of reality.

Physicians combine the psychotherapeutic course of therapy with simultaneous reception medicines. With paranoia, a course of antipsychotics, tranquilizers and antidepressants is prescribed, which relieve anxiety and stop delirium attacks.

Methods for treating paranoia

Unfortunately, the involutionary forms of paranoid disorders are not even amenable to long-term treatment. They will continue to progress in older people. difficult to treat and alcoholic types disorders.

Disease prognosis

In the vast majority of cases, the prognosis of paranoid disorder (especially with a long course of the disease) is unfavorable. Paranoia is a pathological, lifelong condition. During therapy, the patient's condition can improve significantly. Stabilization of the disorder lasts for a long time, but with age the disease returns.

The results of therapy largely depend on the joint work of the doctor, patient and relatives. required and independent work with the following conditions:

full, regular rest;
constant physical activity;
well-designed diet;
avoidance of stressful, exciting situations;
refusal of harmful addictions (alcohol, smoking).

Remember the main thing: the diagnosis of paranoia is not a sentence. modern medicine is developing rapidly, new, effective drugs are being discovered. Incurable a couple of decades ago, many mental disorders are now successfully treated. Not far off is the moment when paranoia will also be successfully treated at any stage of the development of the disease.

There is currently a clear and generally accepted understanding in medicine of what paranoia means or is?

Paranoia is a specific thought disorder that manifests itself in odd behavior and is characterized by a tendency to see in various real or imagined circumstances the intrigues of enemies, a threat to the personality of the subject, a conspiracy.

The underlying causes of paranoia are still not fully understood. It is reliably known that the disease often develops in old age, so it is associated with the presence of degenerative processes in the brain.

With mild degrees of the disease, a paranoid personality disorder of the subject occurs. In some cases, paranoia develops into obsessions, which are characterized by imaginary grandeur and persecution.

Signs of paranoia

The mechanism of the disease is based on the formation of ideas of supervalues, which eventually develop into delusions of grandeur, because of which the patient forms various complex logical chains of events. His conclusions always result in clever conspiracy theories against himself.

As a rule, the environment of the subject is distrustful and skeptical towards his “speculations”. This leads to the fact that the suspicion of the patient only grows, conflicts, domestic quarrels and even litigation arise.

Under the conditions of the patient's authority and the suggestibility of his environment and family, situations arise when they support his overvalued ideas, thereby delaying the visit to the doctor and convincing the patient that he is right. Signs of paranoia are increased suspicion, distrust of everyone around, jealousy and resentment, the desire to find in random events intrigues of "enemies".

Symptoms of paranoia

A decrease in physical and intellectual abilities may be the first warning sign. Develops isolation and lack of need to communicate with people, aggressiveness, conflict with family and loved ones.

The subject perceives extremely negatively what is happening around them, while there is practically complete absence emotions. There is a decrease in attention, as well as changes in hearing, vision, olfactory perception.

About what paranoia means, what are the causes and mechanism of its appearance, what causes the symptoms - it is still completely unknown. However, for this disease, the constant pattern of symptoms remains unchanged. First of all, the symptoms of paranoia include a violation of perception, mental function, changes in the work of motor skills.

Attacks of the disease are characterized by a violation of the usual relationships between objects, people and events. In this regard, a person suffering from paranoia feels a constant confusion of thoughts, which does not give him the opportunity to independently solve a number of life problems and make decisions.

On the other hand, there is also a lack of clear thoughts, which makes the subject somewhat defenseless. In addition to the above, delirium appears, which is an integral component of this mental disorder.

If we talk about a change in perception, then it should be said that hearing suffers first of all. Patients with paranoia hear imaginary sounds for a while.

Added to this are also tactile or even visual hallucinations. Motility disorders are possible, which affects the change in gait, gestures, facial expressions of the patient. They acquire a rigid, unnatural character, become ridiculous.

Types of paranoia

Currently, psychiatrists distinguish the following types of paranoia:

Alcoholic paranoia is a psychosis that acquires chronic and developing in those suffering from alcoholism. This variant of the disease is manifested by delusions of jealousy and persecution.
Fighting paranoia. AT this case the patient is inclined to fight for his rights, which, in his view, are allegedly violated. Developing increased activity and outright fanaticism.
Paranoia of lust. A classic term that is used for a variant of the disease that manifests itself as a delusional love and erotic context.
Involutional paranoia - occurs in women in the premenopausal period. This variant of the disease begins acutely and proceeds long time with comorbid psychiatric disorders.
Hypochondriacal paranoia - characterized by an imaginary sensation somatic diseases without their exact localization. As a result, various delusional interpretations and conjectures develop.
Acute paranoia - characterized by the appearance of stupor, hallucinations and delusions.
Acute expansive paranoia is a complicated type of acute paranoia, in which delusions of grandeur, power and authority, talent, religious themes and fanaticism develop.
Persecutory paranoia - the patient suffers from delusions or persecution mania.
Sensitive paranoia - the patient is characterized by increased vulnerability and sensitivity, an increased tendency to conflict. This state often develops after a brain injury or its alimentary atrophy.
Paranoia of conscience - characterized by delusions of self-flagellation, an increased tendency to self-criticism, imaginary actions that cause a feeling of guilt. This condition is characteristic of a depressive syndrome.

Fighting paranoia - treatment

The actions of patients with paranoia, whose motivation is dictated by their peculiar interpretation of what is happening around, can harm others. Treatment is hampered by the fact that such patients feel extreme distrust of doctors and everyone who wants to help them.

Wherein necessary measures psychotherapy is perceived by them as an attempt to take control of their consciousness. Even relatives who are aware of the problem and declare the need for treatment are considered sick to be “enemies”.

The fight against paranoia includes the use of medications such as antipsychotics with anti-delusional effect. Psychotherapy is also effective. Some doctors insist on the use of chemotherapy, but this method is not welcomed everywhere. An important factor is also the ability to establish a trusting relationship between the patient and the doctor.