You feel suspicious of every little thing in life.
Youd characterize yourself as someone who jumps to conclusions often, usually without evidence.
Its common to experience feelings of paranoia from time to time, especially during periods of stress and upheaval.
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Sometimes paranoid feelings are characteristic of a mental health disorder, such asschizophrenia, orparanoid personality disorder.
What Is Paranoia?
Paranoia can make it hard to sustain healthy relationships and can make you feel stressed and anxious.
What Does Paranoia Feel Like?
Paranoia can be described as a general mistrust of people, institutions, and even governments.
Paranoia is characterized by irrational fearsbelieving things that are not true.
Some of the symptoms of paranoia include:
What Causes Paranoia?
Paranoia can also have medical origins.
Certain recreational drugs may trigger feelings of paranoia.
For example, amphetamine and marijuana can cause paranoid thinking.
Blood work may have to be done, and other diagnostic tests may be required, as needed.
Treatment
Treatment for paranoia depends on the cause.
Psychiatric issues, such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder, and paranoid personality disorder, require psychiatric care.
At times, specialized care in a psychiatric facility may be necessary.
But that doesnt mean feelings of paranoia have to be something you just live with or muddle through.
Many people who experience paranoia are often reluctant to seek therapy.
After all, paranoia itself makes a person distrustful of others.
But living with feelings of paranoia isnt pleasant or healthy, and you deserve to feel well.
Your therapist or counselor wont judge you for how you are feeling.
Sometimes paranoia needs to be treated by a healthcare provider or mental health professional.
But paranoia is treatable, and isnt something that needs to take over a persons life.
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