http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27678810/
Are they out to get you? Paranoia on the rise
Irrational fears may be a lot more common than thought, surveys suggest
The Associated Press
updated 11:11 a.m. ET, Wed., Nov. 12, 2008
LONDON - If you think they're out to get you, you're not alone.
Paranoia, once assumed to afflict only schizophrenics, may be a lot
more common than previously thought.
According to British psychologist Daniel Freeman, nearly one in four
Londoners regularly have paranoid thoughts. Freeman is a paranoia
expert at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College and the
author of a book on the subject.
Experts say there is a wide spectrum of paranoia, from the dangerous
delusions that drive schizophrenics to violence to the irrational
fears many people have daily.
"We are now starting to discover that madness is human and that we
need to look at normal people to understand it," said Dr. Jim van Os,
a professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University in the
Netherlands. Van Os was not connected to Freeman's studies.
Paranoia is defined as the exaggerated or unfounded fear that others
are trying to hurt you. That includes thoughts that other people are
trying to upset or annoy you, for example, by staring, laughing, or
making unfriendly gestures.
Estimates vary widely
Surveys of several thousand people in Britain, the United States and
elsewhere have found that rates of paranoia are slowly rising,
although researchers' estimates of how many of us have paranoid
thoughts vary widely, from 5 percent to 50 percent.
A British survey of more than 8,500 adults found that 21 percent of
people thought there had been times when others were acting against
them. Another survey of about 1,000 adults in New York found that
nearly 11 percent thought other people were following or spying on them.
Dennis Combs, an assistant professor of psychology at the University
of Texas at Tyler, has been studying paranoia for about a decade.
When he first started conducting paranoia studies, mostly in college
students, he found that about 5 percent of them had paranoid
thoughts. In recent years, that has tripled to about 15 percent, he said.
In a small experiment in London, Freeman concluded that a quarter of
people riding the subway in the capital probably have regular
thoughts that qualify as paranoia. In the study, 200 randomly
selected people (those with a history of mental problems were
excluded) took a virtual reality train ride. They recorded their
reactions to computerized passengers programmed to be neutral.
More than 40 percent of study participants had at least some paranoid
thoughts. Some felt intimidated by the computer passengers, claiming
they were aggressive, had made obscene gestures, or tried to start a fight.
Big cities contribute to paranoia
Freeman said that in big cities, many ambiguous events can lead to
paranoid thoughts. Because we constantly make snap judgments based on
limited information, like which street to take or whether or not
strangers are dangerous, the decision-making process is prone to error.
Van Os said Freeman's virtual reality experiment was solid and
confirmed previous research. Experts say not everyone with paranoid
thoughts needs professional help. It all depends on how disturbing
the thoughts are and if they disrupt your life.
"People walk around with odd thoughts all the time," said David Penn,
a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina. "The
question is if that translates into real behavior."
Van Os recalled a delusional patient who was convinced that the
French singer Charles Aznavour was in love with her, and had been
whispering to her before she went to sleep every night for more than
two decades.
"You could call it a psychotic experience, but she was very happy
about it," van Os said. "There isn't always a need for care when
there's an instance of psychosis."
He hoped that being able to identify milder delusional symptoms in
people could help doctors intervene earlier to prevent more serious cases.
The post-Sept. 11 atmosphere and the war on terror have also
increased levels of paranoia in the West, some experts said.
"We are bombarded with information about our alert status and we're
told to report suspicious-looking characters," Penn said. "That
primes people to be more paranoid."
More social isolation
Traumatic events can make people more vulnerable to having paranoid
thoughts. Since the attacks, Penn said Americans have been
conditioned to be more vigilant of anything out of the ordinary.
While heightened awareness may be a good thing, Penn said it can also
lead to false accusations and an atmosphere where strangers are
negatively viewed.
That can result in more social isolation, hostility, and possibly
even crime. And it can take a toll on physical health. More paranoia
means more stress, a known risk factor for heart disease and strokes.
Still, some experts said that a little bit of paranoia could be helpful.
"In a world full of threat, it may be kind of beneficial for people
to be on guard. It's good to be looking around and see who's
following you and what's happening," Combs said. "Not everybody is
trying to get you, but some people may be."
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Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:18 CST