Paranoia

A condition in which the central feature is the delusion that people or events are especially connected to oneself. The term paranoia may also be used to describe feelings of persecution. A paranoid person builds up an elaborate set of beliefs based on the interpretation of chance remarks or events. Typical themes are persecution, jealousy (see jealousy, morbid), love, and grandeur. Paranoia may be chronic or acute. Chronic paranoia may be caused by brain damage, abuse of alcohol or amfetamines, manic–depressive illness, or schizophrenia and is likely in those with a personality disorder. Acute paranoia, lasting for less than 6 months, may occur in people, such as refugees, who have experienced radical changes. In shared paranoia (see folie à deux), delusion develops because of a close relationship with someone else who has a delusion. There are usually no other symptoms of mental illness apart from occasional hallucinations. In time, anger, suspicion, and social isolation may become severe. If acute illness is treated early with antipsychotic drugs, the outlook is good. In longstanding paranoia, delusions are usually firmly entrenched, but antipsychotics may make them less prominent.