Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. Lauren bog Obam here. Paranoid. It's a word that's perhaps made more headlines than any other year. From the NBC News headline how to tell if the COVID nineteen pandemic made you paranoid or just appropriately cautious to yield news is unexpected uncertainty can breed paranoia. Researchers find paranoia is having a moment. But what is paranoia?
And in a world currently consumed by a global pandemic and political pandemonium, what's the difference between appropriate skepticism or suspicion and irrational delusions. We spoke with clinical psychologist Tamara McClintock Greenberg. She said paranoia is an interesting concept, both in terms of how it's made its way into the lexicon of current language and the meaning clinically, and the
meaning has changed a lot over time. Paranoia is generally defined as a thought process as characterized by irrational suspicion or mistrust of others. There's a wide range of ways paranoia can show up, but people who experience it and may feel like others are out to get them, or they may perceive that they're in danger even though there's no clear threat. And there are a lot of reasons
why people can experience paranoia. It's a common symptom of mental disorders like dementia and drug misuse, but not every case of paranoia is clinical or even cause for alarm. Many people experience mild paranoia at some point in their lives, Greenberg said. Freud initially thought of paranoia as a defense, in which unwanted thoughts were managed by projection. The classic example of this is related to aggression. I'm not angry or out to get anyone, but others are angry and
out to get me. When we describe something as a defense, we typically mean this is something we can all be capable of under certain stressful situations. For example, think that the last time you were really sleep deprived or even sick with a bad cold or flu, and then something stressful happens at work. Any of us under these conditions could misconstrue and become overly wary about something innocent, like a remark made by a friend or something a boss said.
While just about everyone experiences paranoid thoughts at some point in their lives, paranoia that is problematic typically involves a high amount of stress or anxiety related to beliefs about others, a general mistrust of others, and feeling misunderstood, victimized, and or persecuted. Greenberg said, the primary symptom of paranoia that can be part of someone's personality is distrust or excessive
interpersonal sensitivity to others. But to be clear, they may or may not use projection as a primary defense, and this is one way our understanding of paranoia has shifted. Some people just tend to have a more suspicious personality style, and as you can imagine, there are people who function like this everywhere, and it may not be an issue
for them. Greenberg explained that people who tend to be more guarded can function just fine with a more cautious attitude, particularly if they're able to find careers and relationships that allow them to be who they are without judgment. She said, for example, if someone has a more guarded personality style, they probably won't do well in a career in which
they have to deal with a lot of people. I recall one person I knew who was paranoid, not psychotic, but just a suspicious person, and they worked in sales, and this was tough as they were always worried their
clients were complaining about them. When it comes to personal relationships, more wary people tend to either isolate or gravitate toward people who don't demand too much of them into Personally speaking, isolating isn't necessarily an issue if it doesn't negatively impact a person's quality of life, and being drawn to certain
personalities isn't necessarily problematic either, but it can be. Greenberg said, for example, a guarded person would not do well with a bff that needs to talk every day, but they can have gratifying relationships people as long as they don't feel to put upon or that they need to always be present for others in their lives. Social connection is important for everyone to some extent, but that contact can
look different for every person. Greenberg explains that someone with a more suspicious character may choose to have fewer friends and or choose not to have a partner, though she does point out that there are plenty of other reasons people choose to remain single and that this in itself should not be pathologized. More cautious people may tend to space out their social interactions to stay comfortable. Once a month dinner may be way more preferable than daily chickens
and long drawn out chats. But okay, so when is paranoia a problem? Being careful and guarded is one thing, but when paranoia becomes pervasive and makes life difficult, it's something very different. Greenberg said. People who have a more suspicious personality style are likely aware on some level that they are more guarded than others. People who are paranoid and psychotic have much more trouble being aware of the
fact that they see things differently than others. The classic example is someone who really believes they're being followed by the FBI. There's no convincing them that this is not the case. To be clear, though it's easy to minimize the distress of people in these situations, they are often very distressed and anxious and endure a great deal of suffering. Paranoia of this kind can occur in schizophrenia and in
delusional disorders. Paranoid delusions can also occur in some neurological disorders, such as in some dementias. Sadly, paranoid delusions can severely disrupt life and functioning. Paranoid personality disorder or pp D, is one example of intense paranoia that is no longer just a personality facet but something serious. Paranoia is the essential characteristic that people with PPD all have in common, but the beliefs that they hold aren't just run of
the mill cautionary ways of thinking. People with PPD often have unfounded beliefs and tend to blame and distrust others in ways that quote interfere with their ability to form close or even workable relationships. The disorder usually begins in childhood or early adolescence and seems to be more common in men than in women. According to the Cleveland Clinic, PPD effects between two point three percent and four point
four percent of the general population. Unfortunately, clinical paranoia is tough to diagnose until the symptoms progress from mild to severe, and because pp D often co occurs with another mental health problem like an anxiety disorder, says of compulsive disorder and depression, it can often be mistaken for something else.
But treatment can be challenging as well. Greenberg said, if someone is paranoid and severely mentally ill, it can be hard to get help as the person will tend not to trust doctors worry that medication may be harmful, and they may come across as angry toward others. They may not even feel angry, But when someone is really paranoid, there are so many things in the environment they have to keep track of, and this makes interactions with others difficult.
For example, it's hard to have a conversation if you're wondering what someone might try to do to you, if you're being watched or followed, or or even what a slight change of expression on someone else's face might mean. While PPD is fairly uncommon, occasional paranoid thoughts aren't all that rare. One survey found that eighteen point six percent
of participants reported feeling that people were against them. Another survey of more than eight thousand, five hundred adults found that people thought that there had been times when others were acting against them, and yet another survey found that nearly even thought that other people were following or spying on them. However, if you are a loved one seems to be experiencing paranoid thoughts that discript everyday life, there
are lots of ways to get help affordably. If you have a trusted primary care doctor or other health professional already, talk to them about how you can connect with a mental health service provider. If not, or if you're looking for help immediately, try going to mental health dot gov for a list of phone numbers, online chat services, and other resources that you can access right away. Today's episode was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Klang.
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