What is paranoia? Of course, this is a mental disorder. It is not considered psychosis, but people with paranoia experience huge problems in contact with society, causing significant inconvenience to the people around them. We’ll talk about this.
What is paranoia
This is a mental disorder, manifested in unreasonable distrust of others. Sometimes this condition is delayed for a very long period.
People with this disorder have big problems communicating with others because they are very critical of them. At the same time, they themselves do not accept any criticism of themselves.
Signs of Paranoia
Before making a diagnosis of "paranoia," the doctor must conduct a series of studies and tests. We have already mentioned the main symptoms of this mental disorder. Let's select them thesisally:
- constant and unreasonable distrust of those around him, which can go on indefinitely;
- hostile perception of other people;
- criticism of their behavior, actions and ideas;
- all (sometimes aggressive) rejection of criticism in its own address.
Clinical picture
The patient suffers from a disorder of thinking and perception. If the paranoid syndrome worsens, then the connection between objects and people is lost in the consciousness of the paranoid. He begins to have major problems in life, which are expressed even in small everyday situations. He cannot independently eliminate them. The thoughts of the paranoid are clouded, he becomes simply helpless.
The paranoid begins to hear imaginary voices and sounds. Sometimes it comes to visual hallucinations. The patient begins to rave ... In rare cases, the clinical picture of the paranoid syndrome is supplemented by distortions of facial expressions and pantomimics. His gait and healthy posture may suffer.
Now that you and I know what paranoia is and what signs it is accompanied by, you can turn to the question of its treatment. About it - further.
Paranoia. Treatment
Treating this mental disorder is not easy. The difficulty is that the paranoid, oddly enough, refuses to believe that he, sorry for the tautology, is paranoid. All this gives rise to an inadequate reaction to any attempts on the part of relatives to speak with him about his problem. The paranoid perceives this as a conspiracy and enemy provocation.
Forced hospitalization of the patient occurs when his behavior becomes potentially dangerous for others and, of course, for himself. In this case, treatment is carried out using deposited antipsychotics. However, it is important to understand that drug treatment will not lead to a complete elimination of this form of mental disorder. That is why the main emphasis in the treatment of paranoia is made on a special course of psychotherapy (psychological correction).
A qualified specialist, who knows firsthand what paranoia is, should be able to establish a stable working alliance between him and paranoid. This will not be easy, because the patient is an incredulous and suspicious person. From the very first minutes of the conversation, the psychiatrist should be able to show tolerance, impartiality and understanding for his patient.