It's a difficult world, don't you think? When it seems to you that the people around you are just trying to get you in trouble or hurt you, moving forward gets really tough. It is even worse when you realize that you are your own worst enemy. How can you leave all paranoia behind and not become a victim of it? How to take back your own vision of the world? Keep reading the article.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Examine Your Situation
Step 1. Distinguish between paranoia and anxiety
Anxiety is not the same as paranoia, even if they have been psychic states that have some similarities. People with anxiety are severely apprehensive. They may think, for example, "My parents will die in a car accident." For their part, the paranoid might think: "Someone will kill my parents to hurt me." If you believe that anxiety may be your problem, consider reading the wikiHow article How to Combat Anxiety to get started.
- There is also a difference between occasional anxiety, which relates to a particular situation, such as being under stress from an exam, and persistent anxiety, which never leaves you. Those related to anxiety are the most common mental disorders. If your anxiety seems generalized or continuous, rather than limited to a specific event or situation, you should consult a mental health professional, as this could indicate a real disorder.
- Anxiety is much more common than clinical paranoia. The average age at which this type of disorder occurs is 31, although it can occur at any age. The symptoms of anxiety, or GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), mainly concern the inability to relax, the predisposition to get scared easily and have difficulty concentrating, as well as a multitude of physical symptoms. Fortunately, it is possible to cure it.
Step 2. Get a "jury"
It may be hard to believe, but some degree of paranoia is common among people. We all have insecurities and we know what embarrassment is. About a third of people form paranoid thoughts at one point or another. Before jumping to conclusions and assuming you are paranoid, gather 4 or 5 friends and ask them if your mind paths are understandable or delusional. It is a great way to determine if you are truly paranoid or not.
- There are five levels of paranoia. Many of us have a general feeling of vulnerability and are suspicious ("I could be killed in this dark alley!", Or "They're talking about me behind my back, aren't they?"). However, if you believe that there are direct threats to your person, in a mild form ("He stamps his foot to annoy me"), moderate ("My calls are being monitored") or severe ("The police are on my television, they are spying "), it could be paranoia.
- Observe how your thoughts affect your life. You may have some paranoid thoughts every now and then, but if it doesn't affect your life significantly, you probably don't suffer from clinical paranoia.
Step 3. Find out if you are actually paranoid or if you just listen to previous life experiences
Sometimes, friends and loved ones may label some thoughts as "paranoid" if you are suspicious of something. However, this is not always an unpleasant character trait. Sometimes, life experiences can teach us to view a certain way of behaving with distrust. Having a suspicion, for example, that someone might harm you, isn't necessarily paranoia. You will probably just have a hard time trusting people. This attitude occurs frequently especially after a trauma or a very negative experience.
- For example, you may have doubts about the person you are dating, as it seems that everything is "too good to be true". If you have been heartbroken several times in the past, it is likely that in this situation you are inclined to keep in mind what your previous experiences have taught you.
- On the other hand, if you suspect your new partner is a murderer in disguise, sent to kill you, this is probably paranoia.
- To take another example, you might notice something that doesn't seem "right" about a situation or person that arouses suspicion. These considerations are not always paranoid. While you should look into your reactions, don't underestimate them immediately.
- Take the time to evaluate your reactions and suspicions. You may react instantly, out of fear or anxiety. Stop and try to determine where these reactions originated. Is there a basis, such as a past experience, from which this kind of reaction could arise?
- Check the facts. No, it doesn't mean checking the past of your new boyfriend or girlfriend. Sit in front of a sheet of paper and write down what's going on. Try to outline the situation, what you feel about it, how strong your feelings are, what you believe about the context, if those beliefs are supported (or unsupported) by facts, and if you can change your opinion based on those. facts.
Step 4. Consider using alcohol, drugs, and other substances
Paranoia is a side effect that is commonly caused by substance abuse. Alcohol can cause hallucinations and paranoia in heavy drinkers who make it a chronic consumption. Stimulants, including caffeine (yes, caffeine!), Amphetamines and methylphenidate, can cause paranoia and sleep disturbances. The combination of stimulants and antidepressants or over-the-counter cold remedies can increase these side effects.
- Hallucinogens, such as LSD, PCP (angel dust), and other mind-altering drugs, can cause hallucinations, aggression, and paranoia.
- Most other illegal drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamines, can also generate paranoia. Over 84% of cocaine users suffer from drug-induced paranoia. Marijuana can also cause paranoia in some users.
- Most prescription drugs do not lead to paranoia when taken at the recommended doses. However, some medicines prescribed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, by stimulating the production of dopamine, can produce hallucinations and paranoia. If you are on drug therapy and think it may be the cause of your paranoia, talk to your doctor about possible alternatives. Don't stop taking it without talking to him first.
Step 5. Think about your situation
A traumatic event or bereavement can also cause some people to become paranoid. If you've recently lost someone or are going through a particularly stressful time, paranoia may be your mind's way of dealing with the situation.
If your paranoia appears to stem from a fairly recent situation (at least in the past 6 months), it is probably not chronic. It still deserves your attention and, therefore, you should treat it, but it can be easier to deal with if it has recently arisen
Part 2 of 3: Dealing with Paranoid Thoughts
Step 1. Start keeping a journal to track your thoughts and feelings
It can help you understand what caused you to become paranoid, and it's also a great way to relieve stress. It may also help you identify triggers - the people, places, and situations that seem to be causing your paranoia. To start writing, choose a comfortable place and try to spend about 20 minutes a day in your journal. Reflect on situations in which you feel paranoid. For instance:
- When do you feel the most paranoid? At night? Early in the morning? What happens when you feel this way?
- Who do you think is paranoid among the people you hang out with? Is there anyone or a group that makes you feel more paranoid? Why do you think people make you feel more paranoid than usual?
- Under what circumstances do you feel the most paranoid? Is there a place where your paranoia escalates? What happens in that place that makes you feel this way?
- In what situations do you feel paranoia? Does it happen when you are among the people? Is it something present in the surrounding environment?
- What memories are awakened in you when you experience those sensations?
Step 2. Develop a plan to avoid or reduce exposure to triggers
Once you have identified the situations and people who appear to be contributing to your paranoia, you can make a plan to expose yourself less to these circumstances. While you can't escape certain people, places, and situations, such as work or school, you have the ability to minimize exposure to what you can avoid if you are aware of what triggers your paranoia.
For example, if a certain route back from school makes you feel paranoid, take a different route or ask a friend to accompany you
Step 3. Learn to question your way of thinking
In case there are triggers that you cannot avoid, by learning to question your paranoid thoughts, you have the opportunity to dilute or distance your feelings towards certain people and in certain situations. The next time you find yourself having paranoid thoughts about a person, place or circumstance, ask yourself the following questions.
- What do I think? When did I mature it? Who was there? When did it appear? What happened?
- What I think is based on fact or opinion? How can I understand it?
- What am I taking for granted or believe about what I think? Is this my conjecture or is it a realistic belief? Because? Why not? What would it mean if what I think corresponded to reality?
- How do I feel physically and emotionally?
- What have I done or could I do to address this thought in a positive way?
Step 4. Distract yourself from paranoid thoughts
If you can't defuse your paranoia by examining what characterizes it, try to distract yourself. Call a friend, take a walk or watch a movie. Find a solution to take your mind off paranoid thoughts, so as not to get caught up in the obsession.
- By distracting yourself, you will avoid ruminating, i.e. falling into obsessive mental patterns in which you think the same thing over and over again, like a broken record. Morbid ruminations are associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression.
- However, just being distracted is not enough to adequately deal with these thoughts. It is a way to escape, which means that you have to take other steps to work on your paranoia.
Step 5. Avoid punishing yourself
Maybe some thoughts make you embarrassed and, therefore, may lead you to judge yourself harshly. Studies have shown that this type of technique, or "punishment", is not effective for dealing with paranoid thoughts.
Rather, try reconsidering (examining thought processes), exploiting social control (seeking advice from others), or distracting yourself, as described elsewhere in this article
Step 6. Determine if professional help is needed
Mild paranoia may be manageable on its own, but professional help will likely be needed if it is moderate or severe. If you often have paranoid thoughts, consider the following questions:
- Are you planning to act on potentially harmful thoughts?
- Are you thinking of harming yourself or others?
- Are you thinking and planning how to intentionally harm someone?
- Are you listening to voices telling you to harm yourself or others?
- Are your obsessive thoughts or behaviors affecting your family or work life?
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Are you reliving a traumatic experience several times?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should seek help from a mental health professional as soon as possible
Part 3 of 3: Understanding Paranoia
Step 1. Define "paranoia" correctly
Many of us use the term "paranoia" very loosely. However, clinical paranoia involves persistent feelings of persecution and an exaggerated sense of one's own importance. Unlike normal suspicion, paranoia has no rational basis. There are several pathologies and mental disorders that can cause it, but they are not common. You cannot and should not attempt to diagnose any of these conditions. If you notice any symptoms, consult your doctor or mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Only a qualified doctor can diagnose mental disorders.
Step 2. Look for typical symptoms of paranoid personality disorder (PPD)
PPD affects roughly between 0.5% and 2.5% of the population. Affected people are so suspicious of others that they seriously alter their daily lives, leading, for example, to social isolation in the most extreme form. Symptoms include:
- Suspicion, baseless, of being hurt, exploited or deceived by people.
- Doubts about the loyalty of others, including friends and family.
- Difficulty confiding in or working with others.
- Reading hidden or threatening meanings in harmless opinions or circumstances.
- Holding a grudge.
- Social isolation or hostility towards others.
- Tendency to react quickly and with anger.
Step 3. Look out for signs of paranoid schizophrenia
Usually, people with paranoid schizophrenia are convinced that others intend to harm them or their loved ones. They also tend to believe they are extremely important (delusions of grandeur). Only about 1% of people suffer from schizophrenia. Other frequent symptoms of this psychiatric illness include:
- Social isolation or withdrawal.
- Suspicion of others.
- Wary or reserved behavior.
- Delusional jealousy.
- Auditory hallucinations ("hearing things").
Step 4. Identify the signs of delusional disorder
The delusional disorder leads to the conviction of one or more particular paranoia (for example, "The police are on my TV and spying on my every move"). It is limited and does not necessarily imply a global vision. However, the person is able to act without evidently engaging in any bizarre behavior. This disorder is extremely rare - only about 0.02% of people suffer from it. Common symptoms of delusional disorder include:
- High levels of self-referentiality. It means that the person notices references to himself in everything, even when this is obviously not true (for example, he believes that an actor in a movie is talking directly to him).
- Irritability.
- Depressive state.
- Aggression.
Step 5. Consider if you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Paranoia can accompany post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a severe psychological distress that can develop after a person has experienced trauma. Shocking experiences can also cause hallucinations, as can paranoia. If you have suffered a trauma in the past, such as abuse, you have probably developed what is known as "persecutory ideation" - the belief that people are always ready to harm you. Such a belief can lead you to suspect others or fear that you will hurt yourself even in situations that most people have no suspicion or fear of. Unlike many other paranoia, this type of fear is fueled by a reaction to the trauma. By working with a mental health professional, experienced in trauma management, you will be able to overcome PTSD and this type of paranoia.
- The most common treatment to combat PTSD is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), thanks to which you can understand how trauma has affected your way of thinking and acting. You can learn new ways of looking at yourself and the world around you in order to relieve symptoms.
- Other treatments include exposure therapy and so-called EMDR (desensitization and reprocessing through eye movements).
Step 6. Consider talking to a therapist about what you are feeling
Without help, it can be difficult to understand why you are feeling paranoid and to determine the best way to cope with these feelings. An accredited mental health professional can help you understand and analyze them.
- Keep in mind that feeling paranoid can be part of an underlying mental disorder that needs treatment. By talking to a therapist you will be able to understand what is happening and decide the best course of action.
- It is very common to go to the therapist. People use the advice of these professionals to improve their lives. Don't make any judgments that you have decided to ask for help - it is a courageous gesture that shows that you care about your well-being.
- Feel free to change therapist! Many people feel compelled to continue with who they started. If you don't trust it, find another one who knows how to make you comfortable and that you can rely on. It will be the quickest way to make progress.
- Know that the therapist is bound by law to professional secrecy. People with paranoia are usually afraid to share their problems, but therapists are legally and ethically required not to tell patients' secrets. The only exceptions to this rule are in cases where the patient expresses an intention to harm himself or someone else, is a victim of violence or neglect, or if a court order requires the therapist to disclose information because the patient himself is on trial.
Advice
- Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Even having the feeling that they can help you, that's not the case: they can only make things worse.
- Learn to meditate so that you can relax when paranoid thoughts arise.
- Keep in mind that most people aren't evil, and they don't conspire against you.
- Remember that it doesn't matter what happens - it all works out in the end.
- Focus on your breathing and think about relaxing things, like good memories. If that doesn't work, try some arithmetic. For example, imagine multiplication 13x4 and unroll it.
Warnings
- Tell someone what you think and feel. If you repress your feelings, they will eventually explode suddenly. Keeping it all inside is bad for your health - talk to someone you trust.
- Do not cause any physical harm to anyone because of your suspicions of what they might do.
