(Extract from the Mind Publication "Understanding Paranoia ")

“The couple next door are listening in on me, I know it.  I saw her in the street yesterday and she looked away”.

“The postman is reading my mail. One of my letters last week was not stuck down.  He knows all my secrets”.

"My son’s behaving so strangely, he suspects everyone of plotting against him.  The thing is I daren’t talk about it when he’s in the house in case he overhears. I’m getting paranoid about his paranoia.”

What is Paranoia?

The word paranoia literally means distracted.  It involves being suspicious without reason, and a belief that others are trying to persecute you.  Paranoia can range from milder forms, where the person retains insight and realizes their suspicions may be ungrounded, to extreme forms, where the person cannot distinguish reality from fantasy.

Extreme paranoia can be one of the symptoms leading to a diagnosis of schizophrenia.  A person said to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, in addition to being very paranoid, will also hear voices commenting on their behaviour, echoing thoughts or giving commands.  Paranoia is a very isolating condition – the person feels they can depend on nobody.  Sufferers feel angry, fearful, guilt-ridden, suspicious, vengeful and ostracized.  They can also become depressed.

Paranoia is a blend of feelings and thoughts directed more towards the future than the past.  Paranoid people therefore may be forever anticipating things and trying to ‘second guess’ their adversaries. This is because they dread some awful future event such as a violent attack or betrayal.

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