Paranoia

The three main types of paranoia are as follows:

• Paranoid personality disorder: A type of personality disorder in which the person has a constant feeling of suspicion of others. People with a paranoid personality disorder aren't able to trust others or their actions, and have a feeling of other people being out to harm them.
• Delusional disorder: A delusional disorder is a type of psychosis which contains elaborate imagination and the belief of it being true. People with these conditions are known to have frequent mood swings and may not take an interest in doing daily, regular activities.
• Paranoid schizophrenia: People with paranoid schizophrenia are routinely distrustful of other people, viewing others with suspicion and not allowing themselves to open up in front of them. People with this type of disorder also have the feeling of others trying to cause them harm, and they may also experience hallucinations. (Read more: Types of schizophrenia)

The symptoms of paranoia can vary from mild to extreme levels of such irrational thoughts. In most cases, the symptoms depend on the underlying cause. Some of the signs of a person feeling a sense of paranoia are:

• Inability to trust others or being suspicious
• Easily offended
• Quick to be defensive or aggressive in response
• Holding a grudge against people
• In a state of constant stress or anxiety
• Feeling of being misunderstood
• Finding it difficult to accept their own mistake, someone's criticism or an argument
• Feeling targeted or victimised despite any presence of a threat

As with many other personality disorders and mental health conditions, experts are still trying to find out why paranoia appears in people. As mentioned earlier, it is a common symptom in different conditions, and most types of research have put it down to genetic conditioning— although childhood experiences or past life events that may involve some kind of trauma are also known to play a role in the development of this condition.

The consumption of narcotic substances or being habituated to substance abuse—which can alter the chemistry of the brain and its neurotransmitters—may also result in the development of paranoia. Some studies have also pointed to chronic or constant stress playing a major role in its development, especially in the case of people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

As there aren't specific or clear indicators as to how or why paranoia occurs in some people, a combination of all these possibilities may also be a contributing factor in the onset of paranoia.

Poor quantity or quality of sleep are also related to the development of stress and anxiety, which may lead to paranoia over time. It is also estimated that men are more commonly affected by feelings of paranoia and related conditions as compared to women.

Read more: Sleep deprivation

As paranoia can be a symptom of several mental health conditions, it is important to have the correct diagnosis. On most occasions, a person with such feelings may even refuse to seek a doctor’s help to determine the cause of their paranoia.

A routine medical exam and questions about the patient's medical history are par for the course to rule out the presence of an underlying physical illness, such as memory loss or a kind of dementia, which can also trigger feelings of paranoia.

A psychiatric evaluation may also be necessary to be able to ascertain the other symptoms the patient has been experiencing in addition to paranoia, to make an accurate evaluation.

Paranoia is also seen in patients with other disorders such as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. A doctor can easily help the patient get in touch with a psychiatrist or a psychologist before the symptoms begin to get worse, or the patient starts to experience or believe in their unrealistic patterns of thought.

Paranoia can only be treated properly when the underlying cause and symptoms are clearly known, and the degree of paranoia is well established by doctors and mental health experts. In most cases involving mental health conditions, a combination of counselling/therapy and medications is used for treatment.

However, it can be a challenge for people with feelings of paranoia to seek help from mental health professionals, as they constantly doubt or undermine themselves. Paranoia is considered to be a definitive sign of mental illness, and it is important to recognise the symptoms early and visit a doctor to get it checked.

Read more: Home remedies for stress

If the patient has been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it is important to detox for a period of time to observe whether such feelings persist or die out in that time, although detox can also lead to different outbursts of emotions as well. Cognitive behavioural therapy is considered to be a treatment strategy for people addicted to substances.

Treatment for paranoia can be successful if the symptoms are recognised early. Even if there isn't an underlying mental health problem, speaking to a therapist every now and then can help relieve some of the feelings one may have been keeping bottled up for a long time.

Talk therapy sessions, whether done in a group or individually, can be of immense help along with medications to ease your symptoms. It is important to keep the contact information of mental health helplines and information of nearby hospitals within reach in case of any emergency.