What is paranoia and what causes it?

What is paranoia?

Paranoia is a typeof disorder or delirium of the primary type, which is stable and persistent and can leave much of the patient’spersonalityintact, allowing aconsiderable degree of social adaptation. (1)

In this sense, the subject who suffers from this type of disorder, usually has continuous distrust towards the environment that surroundshim and that makes him feel increasingly overwhelmed, because of the instability of an idea related or not to his fear or fears.

What causes paranoia?

The person who suffers from paranoia, is usually because of the incidence of different factorsthat affect theCentral Nervous System, among which we have:

1. Neurological problems

Among theneurological problemsarethose related to age, since as we advance in it the brain has fewer neurons andneurotransmitterssuch asacetylcholine, which favors adequate levels andallows communication between them.

2. Mental disorders

disease( are chronic pathologies

3. Environmental and social influence

Another factor that can trigger the onset of paranoia is environmental pollution with toxic gases and vapors, which can easily alter organic chemistry, including brain chemistry.

, especially those that fulfill excitatory functions, altering the flow of electrical impulses between neurons and with it.

4. Traumatic experiences

5. Family history

Medical science has also linked genetics and hereditaryacepredisposing factors in the appearance of paranoia, since it is known that many diseases of psychological origin can be transmitted from one generation to another.

What are the types of paranoia?

At present and depending on the triggering factor, there are the following types of paranoia:

1. Persecution

This delusional disorder of persecution manifests itself in the same conditions as the delusion of persecution, where the person feels persecuted, harassed, spied on by a person or groups of people whom they think want to harm them.

You should know: People with paranoia do not suffer from any kind of hallucinations .

2. Megalomania

In this case, the person who has this type of paranoia has a high concept of himself , bordering on narcissism and egocentrism, with behavior that is compatible with Delusions of grandeur and omnipotence , but his reality is very different.

3. Full typeface

In this type of paranoid disorder, the person thinks that the partner with whom they have a romantic relationship is unfaithful or having an affair, which, like the rest of these types of paranoia, has no real basis.

4. Erotomaniac

In this type of paranoia, the paranoid perceives that there is a person or people around him who are in love with him , however he has no sustainable evidence in reality although he lives it as something real.

5. Somatics

In somatic paranoid disorder, the person has the real belief that they have some kind of disease inside their body and even in women with this condition, they can come to believe with conviction that they are pregnant.

How can paranoia be cured?

For the treatment of paranoia, there are several strategies to treat the pathologies that give rise to this delusional disorder and which we mention below:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a strategy to modify negative thoughts , feelings and behaviors, which is commonly used to treat anxiety and depression .

Let us remember that one of the triggers of anxious or depressive statesis stress, which also causes paranoid states. Thus, with the modification of anxious or depressive behavior, paranoiaWillbe treated.

Note: In these cases, it is advisable to provide the doctor with all the necessary information, in order to adapt the strategy to the patient’s health conditions.

2. Psychodynamic therapy

In those cases in which the psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist suspects and confirms the influence of the unconscious in the paranoid states of the patient, then the strategy to be used in this case is an intervention through therapy with A psychodynamic approach .

3. Prescription drugs

Another strategy to support psychological therapies is pharmacological therapy that can help calm exacerbated states of delusion and paranoiathat the patient may present.

Important: Pharmacological help must necessarily be prescribed and supervised by a specialist doctor.

Key Conclusions

• Paranoia is aprimary psychotic disorder.
• The person with paranoia, usually has continued distrust towards the environment that surrounds him.
• Paranoia is currently considered a delusional disorder.
• Paranoia is stable and persistent and can leave much of the patient’s personality intact.
• Unlike delirium, paranoia does not present any type of hallucinations.