Paranoia

Paranoia is defined by thinking that people are somehow ‘out to get you’ or that otherwise seemingly random or innocuous events are ‘directed’ towards you personally, usually with the intent of malice or harm.

As with all problematic unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs, the degree of ‘severity’ lies along a spectrum, at one end being mild thoughts and associated feelings and at the other end, severe paranoia making functioning extremely difficult.

Paranoia is most frequently associated with ‘paranoid schizophrenia’ although this is rarer than most people believe and when it is present, is generally treated with anti-psychotics.

Here at Tranceform Psychology we help people with thoughts or feelings of paranoia that are considered NOT to be as the result of psychosis.

Man with paranoia leaning against mirror

Paranoia Symptoms

The symptoms of paranoia can include:

Acting defensively
Feelings of hostility from others or towards others
Taking offence easily
Thinking that you’re always right
Difficulty trusting people
Holding a grudge
Inability to accept crticism
Finding it difficult to compromise
Taking other people’s remarks as personal attacks
Worrying people are out to get you in some way

You may have some or even all of these symptoms at certain times.

Woman with paranoia about work colleagues

Paranoia & Paranoid Thinking Test

Try answering the following 10 questions which have been designed to illuminate Paranoia related thoughts and feelings.

The higher the number of YES responses the more likely you experience bouts of paranoia and paranoid behaviour.

Do you frequently worry that people are somehow trying to ‘use’ you?
Do you worry about being ‘let-down’ or ‘betrayed’?
Do you find it difficult to forgive and forget people who have mistreated you?
Do you worry that people don’t tell you the ‘whole story’ or are trying to ‘deceive’ you?
Do you worry that your partner may be cheating on you?
Do you analyse people’s remarks to see if they are insulting you in some way?
Do you find it difficult to confide in people fearing they may tell everybody?
Do you worry that people are laughing at you ‘behind you back’?
If you catch somebody staring at you in the street or whilst shopping do you automatically think they must be thinking something negative about YOU?
Do you worry that friends might be meeting up without you behind your back?

(Adapted from ‘The Paranoid Thinking Style’, the Thrive Programme, Rob Kelly, 2015)

Although answering YES to each of these statements may seem perfectly reasonable to you they do indicate that paranoia is a component part of your thinking.

This notion that they are reasonable and make sense is due to what is called ‘confirmation bias‘ which is how our minds ‘twist’ the facts so that they make sense to our beliefs.

Therapy & Counselling for Paranoia

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Paranoia and related problems.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

How long you have had the problem.
Your personal preferences.
How your problem is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Paranoia on the following links:

Although all therapies use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Free Initial Consultations for Paranoia

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss your Paranoia problems prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss any therapy treatments BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.