A chronic personality
disorder in which the
individual develops systematized, sometimes permanent, and mainly persecutory
delusions in a setting of otherwise undisturbed thought.
Paranoia must be distinguished from
paranoid schizophrenia, in
which the same delusions
occur but accompanied by
hallucinations and disturbances of
thought processes and personality.
Paranoid reactions are
displayed by most people at one time of
another in response to
severe disappointment or humiliation. The reaction is the
mistaken belief that the
sufferer is the center of attention and that he is being talked about, usually in a
critical way that invades his privacy and embarrasses him.
Paranoia is a state in which the person experiences constant "paranoid reactions" and where
these reactions cannot be
dispelled by others. Suspicion and resentment of others arise, and the person
takes innocent matters to be a direct attack on him. He usually
feels that his true
worth is not recognized, and he often has
grandiose ideas about what his true worth is.
Temporary paranoid reactions are fairly common and
usually harmless---providing they are not associated with other
thought disorders or personality changes---although they may be
irritating for the family and colleagues of the sufferer. In contrast, true
paranoia is relatively rare and can cause considerable
annoyance and harm to
innocent people outside the sufferer's immediate circle. It is not easy to treat, but is sometimes
helped by psychotherapy.