Paranoia
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225805598
2008-07-15T14:15:06Z
130.74.89.70
/* Use in psychiatry */
{{dablink|For other senses of this word, see [[paranoia (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Nofootnotes|article|date=February 2008}}
{{DiseaseDisorder infobox |
Name = Paranoia |GREEN DAY ICD10 = F20.0 GEERN DAY, F22.0, F22.8 |
ICD9 = {{ICD9|295.3}}, {{ICD9|297.1}}, {{ICD9|297.2}} |
}}
'''Paranoia''' is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive [[anxiety]] or [[fear]], often to the point of [[irrational]]ity and [[delusion]]. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat. In the original [[Greek language|Greek]], παράνοια (''paranoia'') simply means madness (para = outside; nous = mind) and, historically, this characterization was used to describe any [[delusional]] state.
Sometimes in common usage, the term ''paranoia'' is misused to describe a [[phobia]]. For example, a person may not want to fly out of fear the plane may crash. This '''does not''' in itself indicate paranoia, but rather a phobia. The lack of blame in this case usually points to the latter. An example of paranoia, however, would be fear that the pilot is an [[alcoholic]] with no evidence to suggest such, and would crash the plane as a result of this.
== Use in psychiatry ==
More recently<ref name="FreemanGarety2004">Freeman, D. & Garety, P.A. (2004) Paranoia: The Psychology of Persecutory Delusions. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN 1-84169-522-X</ref>, the clinical use of the term has been used to describe delusions where the affected person believes he is being persecuted. Specifically, they have been defined as containing two central elements:
# The individual thinks that harm is occurring, or is going to occur, to him or her.
# The individual thinks that the persecutor has the intention to cause harm.
Paranoia is often associated with [[psychosis|psychotic]] illnesses, sometimes [[schizophrenia]], although attenuated features may be present in other primarily non-psychotic diagnoses, such as [[paranoid personality disorder]] and [[obsessive compulsive disorder]]. Paranoia can also be a side effect of medication or [[recreational drug]]s such as [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] and particularly stimulants such as [[methamphetamine]] and [[crack cocaine]].
In the unrestricted use of the term, common paranoid delusions can include the belief that the person is being followed, poisoned or loved at a distance (often by a media figure or important person, a delusion known as [[erotomania]] or [[de Clerambault syndrome]]).
Other common paranoid delusions include the belief that the person has an imaginary disease or [[parasite|parasitic]] infection ([[delusional parasitosis]]); that the person is on a special quest or has been chosen by [[God]]; that the person has had thoughts inserted or removed from conscious thought; or that the person's actions are being [[mind control|controlled by an external force]].
Therefore, in common usage, the term paranoid addresses a range of
mental conditions, assumed by the use of the term to be of psychiatric origin, in which the subject is seen to generalise or project fears and anxieties onto the external world, particularly in the form of organised behaviour focused on them. The syndrome is applied equally to powerful people like executives obsessed with takeover bids or political leaders convinced of plots against them, and to common people who believe for instance that shadowy agencies are operating against them.
==History==
The term ''paranoia'' was used to describe a [[mental illness]] in which a [[delusion]]al belief is the sole or most prominent feature. In his original attempt at classifying different forms of [[mental illness]], Kraepelin used the term ''pure paranoia'' to describe a condition where a delusion was present, but without any apparent deterioration in intellectual abilities and without any of the other features of [[dementia praecox]], the condition later renamed [[schizophrenia]]. Notably, in his definition, the belief does not have to be persecutory to be classified as paranoid, so any number of delusional beliefs can be classified as paranoia. For example, a person who has the sole delusional belief that he is an important religious figure would be classified by Kraepelin as having 'pure paranoia'.
==See also==
* [[Delusional disorder]]
* [[Distrust]]
* [[Ideas of reference]]
* [[Monomania]]
* [[Paranoid personality disorder]]
* [[Pronoia (psychology)]]
* [[Schizophrenia]]
* [[The Conversation]] - a film by [[Francis Ford Coppola]] which explores paranoia
==References==
<references/>
==Further reading==
* Farrell, John. ''Paranoia and Modernity: Cervantes to Rousseau'' (Cornell University Press, 2006).
* Freeman, D. & Garety, P.A. (2004) ''Paranoia: The Psychology of Persecutory Delusions''. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN 1-84169-522-X
* Igmade (Stephan Trüby et al, eds.), 5 Codes: Architecture, Paranoia and Risk in Times of Terror", Birkhäuser 2006. ISBN 3-7643-7598-1
* Kantor, Martin. (2004) ''Understanding Paranoia: A Guide for Professionals, Families, and Sufferers''. Westport: Praeger Press. ISBN 0-275-98152-5
* Munro, A. (1999) ''Delusional disorder''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58180-X
* Sims, A. (2002) ''Symptoms in the mind: An introduction to descriptive psychopathology (3rd edition)''. Edinburgh: Elsevier Science Ltd. ISBN 0-7020-2627-1
*Siegel, Ronald K. (1994) ''Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia.'' New York: Crown.
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[[Category:Abnormal psychology]]
[[Category:Psychosis]]
[[Category:Paranoia|*]]
[[Category:Greek loanwords]]
[[ar:بارانويد]]
[[bg:Параноя]]
[[ca:Paranoia]]
[[cs:Paranoia]]
[[da:Paranoid psykose]]
[[de:Paranoia]]
[[es:Paranoia]]
[[eo:Paranojo]]
[[fa:پارانویا]]
[[fr:Paranoïa]]
[[ga:Paranóia]]
[[id:Paranoia]]
[[is:Vænisýki]]
[[it:Paranoia]]
[[he:פראנויה]]
[[lt:Paranoja]]
[[hu:Paranoia]]
[[nl:Paranoia]]
[[ja:偏執病]]
[[no:Paranoia]]
[[oc:Paranòia]]
[[pl:Zespół paranoiczny]]
[[pt:Paranóia]]
[[ru:Паранойя]]
[[simple:Paranoia]]
[[sk:Paranoja]]
[[sr:Параноја]]
[[fi:Vainoharhaisuus]]
[[sv:Paranoia]]
[[tr:Paranoya]]
[[uk:Параноя]]
[[zh:偏執狂]]