How to Recognize Paranoid Disorder

Delusional disorder is a condition in which a person strongly believes in something, but in fact their beliefs are false, and these beliefs about them are very strong. Delusional disorder is not a form of schizophrenia as many people misunderstand. Instead, a person is considered paranoid when they assume that certain situations can actually happen to them for at least a month, and this belief seems normal to them. In general, the patient’s behavior is normal except for the paranoid element. There are many different types of delusional disorder, including lovable, egotistical, jealous, pernicious, and body delusions. When studying these diseases, you should remember that humans have extremely strong intellectual powers and can imagine strange images that seem very real to the thinker.

Table of Contents

Understand what paranoia is

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What is delusion? Delusions are firm beliefs and will not change despite evidence to the contrary. That is, if you try to reason with a paranoid person, their beliefs will not change. When you present a series of evidence against that thought, they will continue to assert themselves right. ^{[1] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.}

People of the same social status and cultural customs also find this belief absurd or even incomprehensible.
An example of a bizarre delusion is when a person believes that their organs have been replaced by another’s organs, while there are no scars or signs of surgery. Less bizarre cases of paranoia include thinking that you are being watched or secretly filmed by police or government agents.

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Criteria for defining delusional disorder. True delusional disorder occurs when a person has delusions that last for at least a month, excluding the duration of other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, of course. The following are diagnostic criteria for delusional disorder: ^{[2] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.}

Having paranoid thoughts for a month or so.
These delusions do not meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, i.e. the delusions must be accompanied by features of schizophrenia such as hallucinations, disorganized speech, disordered behavior, and abnormal behavior. movement or impaired emotional expression.
Apart from the paranoia and aspects of life affected by the paranoia, all other functions are not affected. Individuals can still take care of their daily needs on their own. The behavior didn’t turn out to be bizarre either.
Duration of delusions is more dominant than factors such as mood features or hallucinations that occur with delusions. That is, changes in mood or hallucinations are not the predominant focus or symptom.
Substance use, medication, or medical condition is not the cause of delusions.

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You should be aware of some diseases that can lead to hallucinations or delusions or both. Examples include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, delirium, and dementia. ^{[3] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source} , ^{[4] X Research Source American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.}

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Understand the difference between delusions and hallucinations. Hallucinations are experiences that involve perception and are free from external stimuli. Hallucinations also often occur through one or more of our senses, most commonly hearing, but can also be sight, smell, or touch.

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Distinguish between delusional disorder and schizophrenia. Delusional disorder does not meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia requires other features such as hallucinations, disorganized speech, disordered behavior, immobile behavior, or impaired emotional expression. ^{[5] X American Psychiatric Association Research Resources (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.}

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The prevalence of delusional disorder. On average, delusional disorder affects about 0.2% of the population. ^{[6] X American Psychiatric Association Research Resources (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.} Because this disease does not affect functioning, behavior is not abnormal, it is difficult to recognize a person with delusional disorder. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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The cause of the delusions cannot be determined. There has been extensive research and theory on the causes and processes of paranoia, but researchers have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause. ^{[8] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Understanding different types of delusions

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Be aware of the delusion of being loved. The common feature of lovable delusion is that the sufferer thinks someone else is in love with him or her, usually this person has a higher status than the patient, such as a celebrity or their manager. ^{[9] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing.} They will try to contact the person they think is in love with them, even they are willing to stalk or use violence. ^{[10] X Research Source}

People with lovable paranoia are usually mild-mannered, sometimes becoming irritable, passionate, or jealous. ^{[11] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}
The general behavior of people with this form of the disease is: ^{[12] X Research Source}
- There is a belief that their audience is trying to send them an implicit message, like through body language or words.
- They can stalk or contact the object by writing, sending text messages or emails, regardless of whether the object does not want to receive but they still do.
- Having a firm belief that the subject still loves them despite evidence to the contrary, such as a restraining order.
This type of paranoia is more common in women than in men. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Distinguishing delusions of egotism. The common feature of delusions of grandeur is that the sufferer thinks he or she has unrecognized talent, wisdom, or discovery. ^{[14] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing} They believe in their own uniqueness, such as believing they have an important role, ability or other power. ^{[15] X Research Source}

They may also believe they are famous, or think they have invented ^{[16] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to the source} for something amazing like a time machine.
People with egotism often exhibit boastful or exaggerated behavior, and appear condescending toward others. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Also they seem to be impulsive and unrealistic about their goals and dreams. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Watch for jealous behavior that shows signs of paranoia. Jealousy delusions have a common feature that patients think their spouse or lover is unfaithful. ^{[19] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing} Despite evidence to the contrary, they are sure their partner is having an affair. Sometimes people with this type of paranoia piece together their facts or findings to conclude it’s evidence of infidelity. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

The common behavior of patients with delusional jealousy is to use violence, try to limit their partner’s activities, or keep the partner out. ^{[21] X Sources of Research} Actually this type of paranoia is most associated with violence ^{[22] X Sources of research} and often a motive for manslaughter. ^{[23] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

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Notice behavior that shows signs of pernicious delusions. The common feature of victim delusion is that the patient thinks he or she is being plotted, deceived, stalked, stalked, or harassed. ^{[24] X American Psychiatric Association Research Resources (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing} This is the most common type of paranoia. ^{[25] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source} Sometimes people with persecutory delusions have a vague feeling that they will be persecuted but are unable to pinpoint the cause. ^{[26] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Even a small insult can be magnified by a patient as an intention to deceive or harass them. ^{[27] X Research Source}
The behavior is often characterized by anger, defense, resentment, or suspicion. ^{[28] X Research Sources}

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Notice how paranoia affects bodily functions and sensations. Somatic delusions involve the body and the senses, ^{[29] X American Psychiatric Association Research Source (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing} Patients may be paranoid about their appearance, thinking they are sick or contagious.

A good example of a body type delusion is a person who believes that he or she smells bad, or that an insect is attacking the skin. In addition, there are cases where they think their appearance is ugly or that there is a problem with some part of their body.
The behavior of these people is often consistent with their paranoid thoughts. For example, people who believe they are being attacked by insects will often see a dermatologist and refuse to seek psychiatric care because they feel it is unnecessary. ^{[30] X Research Source}

Caring for patients with delusional disorder

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Talk to someone suspected of having a delusional disorder. You may not realize a person’s paranoid thoughts until they start talking about them, or their impact on relationships and work.

Sometimes you notice unusual behavior that shows signs of paranoia. For example, paranoia becomes apparent when the patient makes unusual choices in daily life, such as not wanting to carry a cell phone for fear the government is spying on him. ^{[31] X Research Source}

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Get a diagnosis from a mental health professional. Delusional disorder is a serious illness that requires treatment by a mental health professional. If you know someone who is paranoid, you should take them to a specialist right away because many illnesses can be the cause of the delusions.

You should know that only a professional can diagnose a person with delusional disorder. To make an accurate diagnosis of delusional disorder, a specialist must conduct an in-depth interview, including a review of symptoms, medical and psychiatric history, and medical history.

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Support the patient with psychoeducational therapy. Applying psychotherapy to treat delusional disorder is about establishing trust between the patient and the therapist, creating behavioral changes that improve relationships or trouble at work due to delusions. thought caused. ^{[32] X Sources of Research} In addition, once behavior changes positively, professionals can help them challenge paranoid thoughts, starting with the smallest and least important thought to the individual patient. ^{[33] X Research Sources}

Psychoeducational therapy takes a long time to pursue, from 6 months to 1 year to see results. ^{[34] X Research Sources}

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Ask a psychiatrist about antipsychotics. Antipsychotic drugs are commonly used in the treatment of delusional disorder. ^{[35] X Credible Source PubMed Central Go to source} This drug helped 50% of the patients enrolled in the trial get rid of their symptoms, while up to 90% reported some improvement in their symptoms. ^{[36] X Research Source}

Common antipsychotic drugs used to treat delusional disorder are pimozide and clozapine. Panzapine and risperidone are also used. ^{[37] X Research Source}

Warning

Neither ignore nor encourage risky or violent behavior in the patient.
Don’t ignore the emotional toll on you and your caregivers, as stress can have a significant impact on caregivers. Ask for the support of others to help you cope with stress.

Steps

Understand what paranoia is

Understanding different types of delusions

Caring for patients with delusional disorder

Warning

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