The term paranoia, which originates from the Greek words for et noos, means ” next to the mind “. The person with paranoia is wary, she feels constantly threatened and persecuted by unknown people, or even by those around her. She misinterprets situations, words, behaviors. A word or a look may be enough to awaken in her the feeling of persecution. This functioning may go unnoticed by those around him when it is relatively moderate.

This mental functioning disorder can manifest itself in several forms:

• That of a personality disorder, where paranoid functioning is found to be constant and constitutive of the personality. This is called a paranoid personality, which is a type of pathological personality.
• That of a paranoid delirium: episode of acute paranoia in a person who does not necessarily have a paranoid personality.

The term paranoia, which originates from the Greek words for et noosmeans “Beside the spirit” The person with paranoia is suspicious, she feels constantly threatened and persecuted by strangers, or even by her. A paranoid tendency: a way of thinking akin to paranoia without constituting a personality disorder.

There are several theories aimed at defining the causes of paranoia. Some claim that the disease results from narcissistic wound, a long-standing wound that the subject has kept buried deep inside him and which makes him particularly vulnerable.

Others argue that brain micro-lesions are believed to be the cause of the disease. A head trauma, the consumption of alcohol or a toxic substance, stress or a lack of oxygenation in the brain could be responsible for these lesions.

How to diagnose it?

The diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist, because between a suspicious, suspicious but not sick person and a truly pathologically paranoid person, it is not easy for a person unaccustomed to mental pathologies to tell the difference. In addition, the signs of the disease may direct the doctor to another mental pathology including elements of paranoia. The psychiatrist is based primarily on the words and behavior of the patient.