paranoia

Paranoia is a mental disorder characterized by delusions and feelings of extreme distrust, suspicion, and being targeted by others.

Paranoia is also commonly used more generally to mean extreme suspicion or irrational distrust of others. It’s important to understand that while paranoia is used generally outside of its psychiatric usage in a way that makes it seem less serious, having paranoia is a major symptom of disorders like paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder.

The adjective paranoid can be used to describe a person, action, or thought that exhibits paranoia.

A rare alternate spelling for the word is paranoea.

Example: Locking my doors at night isn’t a sign of paranoia—it just means I’m being cautious.

The first records of the word paranoia used in a general way come from around the 1950s, but its use in the context of psychology is recorded much earlier. It derives from the Greek paránoia, meaning “madness.” Paranoia is formed from para-, meaning “abnormal” or “defective,” and nous, meaning “mind.”

Most people understand the concept of what it means for a person to have paranoia: their fear is heightened, they sense danger everywhere, and they feel like everyone is conspiring against them. While most people may have had similar feelings at one time or another, people who have been diagnosed with paranoia, such as paranoid personality disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, experience them to an extreme degree, sometimes in the form of delusions. Such delusions often focus on what’s perceived as constant persecution from others. Still, both paranoia and paranoid are very commonly used in a more general way that is usually negative.

What are some other forms related to paranoia?

• paranoea (rare alternate spelling)
• paranoid (adjective)
• paranoiac (noun, adjective)
• paranoeac (noun, adjective)

What are some words that share a root or word element with paranoia? 

• metanoia
• paralexia

What are some words that often get used in discussing paranoia?

• disorder
• mental illness
• suspicion
• distrust
• fear
• persecution
• schizophrenia
• personality

Paranoia is a formal psychiatric term, but it is commonly used in a more general or casual way.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Just because you can not see the sickness doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Anxiety, depression, paranoia they all exist.
Having suffered myself with depression I can relate to the people who suffer with it. 🙌🏼❤#depression

— Shaz Malik (@shaz_Insafiyan) June 14, 2020

When you're not sure whether you're paranoid* that someone doesn't want to be friends anymore or whether they don't don't want to be friends for real.

Fight the mental health stigma: talk.

*I was diagnosed with paranoia. Not being ableist. My term.

— Mia Siegert – tell me to sign out & finish my book (@MiaSiegert) January 15, 2019

i try my best not to live in fear, but man… there’s an eerie type of paranoia that comes from being both Black & a woman.

— things are getting weird. (@yagirlaley) June 15, 2020