Paranoia

Question: What is the difference between intuition and paranoia? Are they related? I have very finely tuned intuitive responses and my intuition usually serves me well, in that I make a fair few decisions based on what my gut instinct is telling me without any real hard evidence, and later my decisions are substantiated by the outcomes. But sometimes it would appear that some people believe their intuition is telling them something when the reality is much, much different. Like for example, the jealous spouse who imagines his partner is cheating with no evidence whatsoever to back it up and the partner isn't cheating? So where is the line crossed and when does intuition become paranoia?

Answer: Without getting too much into the sciences or assumptions of the two. Intuition is a natural response to something without any bias ie you are not reacting to a situation based on what you know about a person purely on a gut feeling. Paranoia on the other hand is when you imagine things or responses based on what you think you know about a person e.g she is likely to do that because that is what she is like. Paranoia is more than simply allowing your prejudices cloud your judgment, it is obsessively and detrimentally allowing that to happen. Is there a link between the two? Yes quite possibly in the early stages of paranoia a person might believe they intuitively know a person as a basis for their paranoia. However where it becomes something more is when that person refuses to have any kind of rationality to their feelings and (often) isn't even aware that they are allowing their emotional judgment of the person to cloud their judgment and responses.

Question: What is the disorder that causes extreme paranoia, is it Schizophrenia? I read an article a couple months ago about a lady who thought there were microscopic cameras on her body watching her so she bathed in bleach and rubbing alcohol to get them off, and I believe the article said she suffered from Schizophrenia, but that doesnt sound right because I just looked up schizophrenia on wikipedia, and it doesnt sound the same. Is there a more accurate word to describe this kind of paranoia? (I mean there must be, I just dont know what it is!) Thanks.

Answer: There is a type of Schizophrenia called Paranoid Schizophrenia. It is actually the most common type of Schizophrenia. People who suffer from this illness often believe that people are spying on them, that there are cameras watching them, people listening in on their conversations, etc. This sounds like classic Paranoid Schizophrenia.

Question: How has paranoia affected the history of warfare? I'm only 12, but I'm just wondering. It seems like a lot of wars have been started because someone THINKS that someone else is going to do something... I'm really bad at history, and I may be wrong, but wasn't the Iraqi war started because Bush thought they were making nuclear weapons? Didn't Japan bomb pearl harbor because they thought we would join the war? What other wars or battles have been cause by paranoia?

Answer: The Holocaust and the awful events of WWII were partially rooted in the Catholic Church's hatred of Jews before the war. The church believed Christianity was the only true faith and the Jews were 'unworthy' unless they converted and believed in Jesus. Thus, they passed laws that were almost parallel to the Nazi's laws later on stating that Jews couldn't do certain things, had to identify themselves and pay special taxes, etc. And by the way, you're pretty insightful for a 12 year old (no offence).

Question: What are helpful ways to tone down paranoia? Sometimes i get paranoid even when i shouldn't & have no reason to. My paranoia is going to cause me problems if i dont calm it down. Though it's not as bad as it used to be i feel i have room for improvement. Anyone have any helpful suggestions or ideas that will help? It would be much appreciated.

Answer: Medically explained, Paranoia is a disturbed thought process, which is marked by excessive anxiety or fear. The fear or anxiety usually expands and spreads to the point of delusion and irrationality. The word ‘Paranoia’ is derived from the Greek words ‘Para’ meaning outside and ‘Nous’ meaning mind. So simply put, paranoia means out of one’s mind. In ancient times, this word was used to describe anything that was in a delusional state. However, it is very much possible to overcome paranoia and this is usually done with the help of a qualified professional who prescribes apt medicines and other treatments. What Causes Paranoia Though the exact cause cannot be pinned, it is generally stated that paranoia occurs when there is a breakdown of a patient’s mind. The breakdown is of the various mental and emotional functions, due to which he/she is not able to come in terms with reality and starts to live in fear coupled with delusions. The cause for the breakdown is unclear and could range from many things like repressed dreams, memories, profound fears, etc. Though the cause may be a minor or a major one, once determined, it helps the treatment become easier and helps both the patient and the counselor to get over the disorder. Tips to Overcome Paranoia The first and foremost thing is that a person suffering from paranoia won’t accept he/she is paranoid. Thus, it is upto the close associates of the person to take them for professional counseling. The doctor would generally prescribe behavioral therapy to make sure that the patient does not put up a defensive or offensive behavior while in public or at home. This also helps the patient to collect himself up and not make the disorder obvious to others. Behavior therapy also makes the person a bit insensitive to criticism, which helps him/her to recover fast and gain confidence. After a few sessions, there are considerable changes in a person’s behavior and the doctor soon declares that the patient is fit enough to carry on without the sessions. Along with the behavioral therapy, certain drugs are prescribed that help calm down the nerves. These medicines should be taken regularly in order to avail maximum benefits and help to overcome paranoia. The most important thing that should be accomplished is that the fear and doubts in the mind of the patient must be broken and faith should be restored. Once this is done successfully, the road to recovery is an easy one. Friends and family should be very supportive of the patient and must try to protect the patient and try to win his/her confidence. This way, the patient will feel secure and be able to over paranoia a bit easily.

Question: What if your paranoia and anxiety is REAL and not imagined ? and how would you know if it's real or imagined? is this maybe the difference between PTDS and paranoia/anxiety ?

Answer: Well, here's the thing. If you're paranoid and anxious, you DON'T know the difference. So if you have to ask, you have a problem. One of the signs of any mental illness is that you have, in some way, lost touch with reality. Whether you have PTSD, anxiety, or paranoia, the result is the same: you don't know what's true anymore. If you think you have any of those problems, please seek help.

Question: How come to explanation to most things republicans disagree about stems from paranoia and fear? They are always conspiring against government, sometimes even their own government. They also seem to draw conclusions from their assumptions about things which seem suspicious. They seem to be quick to mention NWO, The Illuminati, Anti-Christ... A large proportion of them still think the Twin Towers was planned by the government... What makes certain minds prone to conspiracy theories or living in a state of paranoia?

Answer: How come to explanation to most things Neo-Marxist are liberals?

Question: What Was The Cause Of The Communism Paranoia Of The 1950s? What was so "bad" about being associated with being communist back then. People lost jobs, celebrities were black-listed, and it was a general witch-hunt and paranoia going on. What exactly caused this? Who were the "evil communists'?

Answer: I have answered questions like this several times, and no one seems to get what I am saying. I will try again. People were legitimately scared of Communism taking over in the United States because of the horror stories that were coming out of Russia since the Bolsheviks took power in 1917. People were arrested and tortured, often being implicated to the police by former friends or even family members, thousands of people lost their property and were either shot immediately or sent to labor camps where they starved to death. The big problem with communism is not that people dress shabbily and make inane statements about redistributing property and money, it is because of the idea of CLASS WARFARE. Class warfare is the idea that there is a class or group of people who are exploiters of the nation, and they always will be; since even if the government is taken over by communism, these people would still be hostile to the dictatorship of the proletariat, so they must be battled and eventually eliminated (as in horrible, painful death to you and everyone who ever heard of you!). As no society could ever be perfect, any shortcomings in the economy would just be seen as proof that, no matter how many people have been arrested and murdered, there are obviously more exploiters hiding and sabotaging the economy so more people must obviously be arrested and murdered. There is a book, Many Are the Crimes, that explains why American Communists were seen as dangerous. Specifically American Communists tended to do and say absolutely anything that the Soviet Union asked them to do and say. Before 1939, Russia hated Hitler so American Communists hated Hitler, then in 1939 Russia became friends with Hitler so American Communists now loved Hitler and demanded that the USA not help any of Germany's enemies, then in 1941 Germany attacked Russia so American Communists hated Hitler again and demanded that the USA fight Germany. American Communists firmly believed that, even though their numbers were ridiculously low (about 100,000 at its height), that they could bring about a revolution so they behaved like an underground movement with secret identities and private meetings with foreign representatives and everything you would expect from enemies of the country. Each member was supposed to find a job and work harder than anyone else so you could rise in responsibility and get to a point where you could do sabotage to capitalism (give secrets to Russia, call a strike when the economy was bad, etc). Also, members of the party were not supposed to admit to anyone that they were members so they always seemed like they had something terrible to hide. It was literally the same sort of semi-justified fear that people had on September 12th of anyone who seemed Middle Eastern. The people who flew the planes into the Twin Towers were not screaming terrorists, they were trained to fit into society and not arouse any suspicions, so that when the time came they could quickly take control of a situation and wreak terrible damage. While the American Communists were not a terrorist organization (they did not throw bombs or rob banks like the Anarchists of the 1900-1930 did), there was a certain justified belief that they could become dangerous if the order came from Moscow.

Question: What ways are there to stop a feeling of total paranoia? I don't mean the strange ideas of paranoid? schizophrenia. I mean more the paranoid personality disorder. I try and control my thoughts but the sense of paranoia is always with me, that God, life and others will destroy me.

Answer: you should see a docter of course and also the things that youre scared of you should face like god you are scared that he will distroy you but that is not true look into the bible and see that it is not true it just isnt and life is full of things that could happen yes but there is hope for the future if you read the bible it will make yoyu not scared maybe not totally if you have a mental contdition but it will definantly help if you want more info or need to talk feel free to email me from my profile

Question: Why has religion used paranoia and fear to get its message across? All the time there are religious folks writing books on the end of the world. These people make millions of dollars. Yet this leads to mass paranoia and fear. Why do the fundamentalist Christians use fear to spread the word of God? It sickens me. Why use fear?

Answer: It works

Question: Does anyone have any ideas on how to battle paranoia? I have bad paranoia, but i think its aq good thing that im aware that im paranoid because i have met people that had no clue so they just acted on it instead of thinking it through. But anyways, If anyone has overcome this struggle i would like some tips. I am only 20 years of age and the paranoia kicked in at about 17 to 18 really bad or mabey thats just when i became aware of it. But its beging to get inbetween my wife and I, I am really trying to fight it because i know paranoia people have a tendency to be controling and abusive. I dont want to end up that way and its becoming very overwelming.

Answer: you should think about what happened last time when you were in a similar situation did anything bad happen? if not then that should relax you. try repeating things that give you fear until you can do them without having feelings of helplessness

Question: paranoia..? have you ever considered the fact that with paranoia you only have to be right once to make it all worth while? isn't it better to be safe than sorry? i think everyone should start being paranoid, at least on the weekends.

Answer: sounds good

Question: What do you think about rampant paranoia making it even harder for me to talk to women? I am unable to believe I can talk to women anywhere, because I am afraid of what they might do. At work, I am afraid of being accused of sexual harassment. It doesn't come close to stopping there. It affects every part of my life. No matter where I go or what I do the fear is there. I know it is irrational to think every woman is out to get me. Not every woman is trying to use me. Women at work aren't necessarily just waiting for a man to fall in to a trap. With all of this paranoia, I probably have missed out on good or fun women. I haven't missed out on loneliness I have had more of that than anybody can want.

Answer: If you were tough and confident you would know that if a girl acts ugly its her problem and you wouldnt want her anyways so it dosnt matter what they do it say. Do you really want a cruel girl who would act such a way to a stranger? Think of a doctor in a mental hospital do you think he takes insults personally from deranged patients?You havre to laugh it off and say ohhhh Shelly or ohhhh Gina pleeease. If you know the girls name..for example.

Question: What are the effects of having paranoia? I know what paranoia is but I'm wondering what happens when people have it and go untreated. Can they possibly go into a mental break down, can they go crazy, hurt themselves, any physical changes? I would like to know for fact what happens, not opinions or guesses.

Answer: There's a two hour discussion to answer your question as completely and thoroughly as you would like. Paranoia is different in different illnesses, paranoid schizophrenia, persecutory delusional disorder, paranoid personality disorder (PPD) and depression and dementia. For some paranoia means constant suspicion rather than full-blown delusion. The worst part of paranoia is in the thinking (insidious obsessions), not in the acting out, yes, there can be mental break down but paranoia does not equal psychosis. "Psychosis is twisted thinking, paranoia is a specific twist." Exact causes are unknown. Potential factors are genetic, neurological abnormalities, changes in brain chemistry, and overwhelming stress; or organic (dementia). The reference below has a ton of information and a link for Patient Discussion: "Read more or ask a question about paranoia." (Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the patient discussion, the link is below that, on right). Good luck, this should help you.

Question: How do you deal with Paranoia and PTSD? I have got this ridiculous bout of paranoia that's been bugging me for almost a week now, and it's not hurting my sleep or anything but it's causing me a lot of anxiety and interfering with my studies. So I was wondering if I could get any advice from people who have found some good ways of dealing with Paranoia and PTSD? Thanks.

Answer: You need thearpy. Do not take ant drugs, just get a thearpist/physcologist. He/she will help you overcome your thoughts of paranoia and get to the root of this disorder. You really need to talk to someone because you can not treat yourself alone. You need to make sure that you get 8 hours of sleep. A lack of sleep contributes to this, especially if you have insomnia. Read, " Toxic Psychiatry" by Peter R. Breggin, M.D. This will help you to not be brainwashed to take meds that alter your brain composition. You might need to if it is severe but then it will help since it is severe. A pro will let you know hoe severe it really is. Hope I kinda helped. I get paranoided sometimes but I have to let it go and not think of the worst that can happen. Try to forget it but it does not work that easily which is why a pro would work best.

Question: What is a good Buddhist technique for transcending paranoia? I have struggled with paranoia the majority of my life for no reason. I want to stop it! Help!?

Answer: When we engage in paranoid behavior, we give priority to the story we want tell about a situation, rather than on seeing the situation clearly. It frequently can be very hard to cut off our storytelling so that we can simply stay present. The storytelling separates us from others in a profound way, thereby making it nearly impossible to enter into meaningful relationships with others. In a very fundamental way, Buddhist practice exposes our storytelling for what it is - thoughts that have no substance or connection to the truth of life. There are many Buddhist meditation techniques and all of them will ultimately help reveal the damaging role played by paranoid storytelling. That said, I encourage you to consider one of the techniques mentioned by Upasakha Jason: metta practice. In metta practice, we express the conscious intent to connect with other people in a beneficial way. Metta practice is very simple. Here is an excellent description of how to do it: http://www.beyondzen.org/2007/08/06/mett… Also, this article by Sharon Salzberg provides useful background on metta practice: http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/face… Additional things you might consider: - Consistency is very important in meditation practice. You will most benefit if you practice daily, and at the same time every day. Metta practice can also be done throughout the day - in any social interaction. - The guidance and support of a teacher and community can help you work with paranoia in a constructive way. In my experience, most Buddhist communities are filled with people who struggle with their consciousness - and these folks are therefore deeply understanding of others' struggles. - Buddhist practice, while highly effective, is not a silver bullet. It works and it takes whatever time it takes. Patience in practice, and with yourself, will benefit you in many ways. Best wishes on your path!

Question: Ladies keep on going on about loads of players but is it paranoia? Sorry if i sound ignorant, but you ladies keep on going on about players, but i don't know that many. Most guys i know want to be in relationships or are in relationships. Me myself i've never really been in a relationship and i'd love a bit of romance. Is the player thing sometimes paranoia and can that paranoia stop these girls from meeting genuine nice guys?

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