WEBVTT - When Is Paranoia Normal, and When Is It a Problem? 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:04.680 Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:11.119 Hey brain Stuff. Lauren bog Obam here. Paranoid. It's a 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:15.200 word that's perhaps made more headlines than any other year. 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:18.040 From the NBC News headline how to tell if the 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:21.800 COVID nineteen pandemic made you paranoid or just appropriately cautious 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:26.760 to yield news is unexpected uncertainty can breed paranoia. Researchers 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:31.240 find paranoia is having a moment. But what is paranoia? 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:34.840 And in a world currently consumed by a global pandemic 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:38.880 and political pandemonium, what's the difference between appropriate skepticism or 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:44.080 suspicion and irrational delusions. We spoke with clinical psychologist Tamara 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:49.240 McClintock Greenberg. She said paranoia is an interesting concept, both 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:51.280 in terms of how it's made its way into the 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:54.960 lexicon of current language and the meaning clinically, and the 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.800 meaning has changed a lot over time. Paranoia is generally 0:00:58.800 --> 0:01:02.560 defined as a thought process as characterized by irrational suspicion 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:05.880 or mistrust of others. There's a wide range of ways 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:09.120 paranoia can show up, but people who experience it and 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:11.760 may feel like others are out to get them, or 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:14.319 they may perceive that they're in danger even though there's 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:17.000 no clear threat. And there are a lot of reasons 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.440 why people can experience paranoia. It's a common symptom of 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:24.520 mental disorders like dementia and drug misuse, but not every 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.520 case of paranoia is clinical or even cause for alarm. 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:31.360 Many people experience mild paranoia at some point in their lives, 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:36.280 Greenberg said. Freud initially thought of paranoia as a defense, 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:39.920 in which unwanted thoughts were managed by projection. The classic 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:42.959 example of this is related to aggression. I'm not angry 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:45.200 or out to get anyone, but others are angry and 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:48.480 out to get me. When we describe something as a defense, 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:50.880 we typically mean this is something we can all be 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:55.360 capable of under certain stressful situations. For example, think that 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:58.120 the last time you were really sleep deprived or even 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.600 sick with a bad cold or flu, and then something 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.760 stressful happens at work. Any of us under these conditions 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.600 could misconstrue and become overly wary about something innocent, like 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.200 a remark made by a friend or something a boss said. 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:14.240 While just about everyone experiences paranoid thoughts at some point 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:18.040 in their lives, paranoia that is problematic typically involves a 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:21.720 high amount of stress or anxiety related to beliefs about others, 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:26.280 a general mistrust of others, and feeling misunderstood, victimized, and 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:30.960 or persecuted. Greenberg said, the primary symptom of paranoia that 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:34.720 can be part of someone's personality is distrust or excessive 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:38.760 interpersonal sensitivity to others. But to be clear, they may 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.080 or may not use projection as a primary defense, and 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:45.000 this is one way our understanding of paranoia has shifted. 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:48.680 Some people just tend to have a more suspicious personality style, 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:51.800 and as you can imagine, there are people who function 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:54.280 like this everywhere, and it may not be an issue 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.640 for them. Greenberg explained that people who tend to be 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:01.360 more guarded can function just fine with a more cautious attitude, 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:04.920 particularly if they're able to find careers and relationships that 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:08.320 allow them to be who they are without judgment. She said, 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:11.680 for example, if someone has a more guarded personality style, 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.200 they probably won't do well in a career in which 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.160 they have to deal with a lot of people. I 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.120 recall one person I knew who was paranoid, not psychotic, 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:21.840 but just a suspicious person, and they worked in sales, 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.880 and this was tough as they were always worried their 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:28.639 clients were complaining about them. When it comes to personal relationships, 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:32.200 more wary people tend to either isolate or gravitate toward 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.480 people who don't demand too much of them into Personally speaking, 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:39.520 isolating isn't necessarily an issue if it doesn't negatively impact 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:42.400 a person's quality of life, and being drawn to certain 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:47.920 personalities isn't necessarily problematic either, but it can be. Greenberg said, 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.120 for example, a guarded person would not do well with 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.080 a bff that needs to talk every day, but they 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.320 can have gratifying relationships people as long as they don't 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.720 feel to put upon or that they need to always 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.120 be present for others in their lives. Social connection is 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.880 important for everyone to some extent, but that contact can 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.840 look different for every person. Greenberg explains that someone with 0:04:10.840 --> 0:04:14.040 a more suspicious character may choose to have fewer friends 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.760 and or choose not to have a partner, though she 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:18.800 does point out that there are plenty of other reasons 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.320 people choose to remain single and that this in itself 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:25.200 should not be pathologized. More cautious people may tend to 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.680 space out their social interactions to stay comfortable. Once a 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:31.840 month dinner may be way more preferable than daily chickens 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:35.919 and long drawn out chats. But okay, so when is 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:39.839 paranoia a problem? Being careful and guarded is one thing, 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:43.680 but when paranoia becomes pervasive and makes life difficult, it's 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:47.840 something very different. Greenberg said. People who have a more 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:51.400 suspicious personality style are likely aware on some level that 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:54.719 they are more guarded than others. People who are paranoid 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.599 and psychotic have much more trouble being aware of the 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:00.599 fact that they see things differently than others. The classic 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.640 example is someone who really believes they're being followed by 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:06.720 the FBI. There's no convincing them that this is not 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:10.440 the case. To be clear, though it's easy to minimize 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:13.239 the distress of people in these situations, they are often 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:16.800 very distressed and anxious and endure a great deal of suffering. 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.440 Paranoia of this kind can occur in schizophrenia and in 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:25.360 delusional disorders. Paranoid delusions can also occur in some neurological disorders, 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:29.600 such as in some dementias. Sadly, paranoid delusions can severely 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:33.640 disrupt life and functioning. Paranoid personality disorder or pp D, 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:37.040 is one example of intense paranoia that is no longer 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:41.200 just a personality facet but something serious. Paranoia is the 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.560 essential characteristic that people with PPD all have in common, 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:47.080 but the beliefs that they hold aren't just run of 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:51.039 the mill cautionary ways of thinking. People with PPD often 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:54.640 have unfounded beliefs and tend to blame and distrust others 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.680 in ways that quote interfere with their ability to form 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.760 close or even workable relationships. The disorder usually begins in 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:04.920 childhood or early adolescence and seems to be more common 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:07.680 in men than in women. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.520 PPD effects between two point three percent and four point 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:14.839 four percent of the general population. Unfortunately, clinical paranoia is 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:18.320 tough to diagnose until the symptoms progress from mild to severe, 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:22.080 and because pp D often co occurs with another mental 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:25.560 health problem like an anxiety disorder, says of compulsive disorder 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.640 and depression, it can often be mistaken for something else. 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:32.600 But treatment can be challenging as well. Greenberg said, if 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.400 someone is paranoid and severely mentally ill, it can be 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.600 hard to get help as the person will tend not 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:41.160 to trust doctors worry that medication may be harmful, and 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.240 they may come across as angry toward others. They may 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.320 not even feel angry, But when someone is really paranoid, 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:49.440 there are so many things in the environment they have 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:52.800 to keep track of, and this makes interactions with others difficult. 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.920 For example, it's hard to have a conversation if you're 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.280 wondering what someone might try to do to you, if 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.719 you're being watched or followed, or or even what a 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.840 slight change of expression on someone else's face might mean. 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:09.040 While PPD is fairly uncommon, occasional paranoid thoughts aren't all 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.320 that rare. One survey found that eighteen point six percent 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:16.000 of participants reported feeling that people were against them. Another 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.600 survey of more than eight thousand, five hundred adults found 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.600 that people thought that there had been times when others 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:24.640 were acting against them, and yet another survey found that 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:28.120 nearly even thought that other people were following or spying 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:31.480 on them. However, if you are a loved one seems 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:35.120 to be experiencing paranoid thoughts that discript everyday life, there 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:37.960 are lots of ways to get help affordably. If you 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.400 have a trusted primary care doctor or other health professional already, 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:43.560 talk to them about how you can connect with a 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.800 mental health service provider. If not, or if you're looking 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:50.320 for help immediately, try going to mental health dot gov 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:53.240 for a list of phone numbers, online chat services, and 0:07:53.280 --> 0:08:01.480 other resources that you can access right away. Today's episode 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.480 was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Klang. 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:06.800 For more than this and lots of other curious topics, 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:09.240 visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is a 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:11.560 production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts to my 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.400 heart radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:16.200 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.