Reality bites, but it nips at you at a different way. You feel that someone’s out to hurt or harm you, or maybe you even think there’s a plot to kill you. No matter how many times someone tells you that these threats are not real, you still believe that someone’s out to get you. You may be suffering from a serious mental disorder, or your delusional beliefs may be a symptom of a more serious mental illness. When it comes to serious mental disorders, paranoia is something you shouldn’t take lightly.

Paranoia is never a mind over matter thing. While it sometimes helps to treat events and people with a healthy amount of suspicion, it’s never good if you can’t trust people, or if your paranoid delusions get in the way of you living a healthy life as a productive member of society. Even the slightest hint of a paranoid delusion can be harmful, especially when left unchecked and untreated. Paranoia need not be a debilitating personality disorder, provided that you take the proper steps to keep it in check.

What is Paranoia?

Paranoia is a mental disorder characterized by the following signs and symptoms:

• An excessive and irrational feeling of fear and anxiety.
• The patient feels persecuted, although there is no evidence to back up his or her claim.
• The patient feels that he or she is going to be harmed, or is being harmed (for example, his or her food is being poisoned).
• Delusional beliefs, like the patient is under the control of a supernatural, external force.

Paranoia itself is considered a mental disorder, although it can also be a symptom of worse mental disorders and illnesses, like the following:

• Paranoid personality disorder is a diagnosis characterized by pervasive paranoid delusions, suspiciousness, and an unhealthy distrust of other people.
• Obsessive compulsive disorder is a diagnosis characterized by ritual-like compulsions and behavior patterns, used by a patient to get rid of anxiety and paranoid delusions.
• Schizophrenia is an extreme psychotic disorder characterized by a patient having disturbed or distorted perceptions and expressions of reality.

Some people may use the term “paranoid” to describe normal patterns of anxious behavior. You should realize that paranoia is a serious mental disorder, and should not be used to describe normal bouts of anxiety or fear. Calling someone “paranoid” may be offensive, especially if you’re dealing with someone who has been diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional.

Consult a Psychiatrist

The only way to get rid of paranoia is to consult a psychiatrist. He or she is trained to diagnose and make remedies for diseases and illnesses. Do not diagnose your paranoia on your own; it’s one thing to suspect paranoia, and it’s another thing to actually have paranoia.

Many people would be ashamed or have bouts of self-pity when they need to see a psychiatrist. Even healthy people have to see a psychiatrist or pay a visit a psychiatric hospital every once in a while. There’s no shame in having paranoia. You can think of it as a challenge that you can beat, but you need some help from qualified professionals.

Medication for Paranoia

Paranoia is often treated with anti-psychotic medication, especially when the patient shows signs and symptoms of schizophrenia. There are two kinds of anti-psychotic medications:

• Typical anti-psychotics/neuroleptics are early forms of anti-psychotic medication, first developed in the 1950s and the 1960s. Typical medications have many side-effects like tremors, extrapyramidal symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, dry mouth, and weight gain. Two of the most common typical anti-psychotics prescribed by psychiatrists are Haloperidol and Chlorpromazine. An anti-psychotic medication is usually combined with a pill (usually Biperiden) to reduce side-effects.
• Atypical anti-psychotics are a newer class of anti-psychotic medication. Atypical anti-psychotics were developed to reduce the serious side-effects of typical anti-psychotics. Atypical medications have the same side-effects as typical medications, although they are not as serious and may result from long-term use. The most common atypical anti-psychotics prescribed by psychiatrists include Clozaril, Ziprasidone, and Risperidone.

An anti-psychotic is a long-term regimen. It does not cure paranoia overnight. It may take years or even decades for symptoms to completely disappear, and you still need to take maintenance doses after you have been “cured.”

Don’t Self-Medicate

Do not, under any circumstances, use prescription medicine to “cure” your paranoia. Paranoia can be cured by medications, but only when controlled and taken in doses prescribed and monitored by a psychiatrist. Anti-psychotic medications have many side-effects like tremors, uncontrolled movement, and a lethargic feeling.

Anti-psychotic medications and other medical remedies for paranoia can only be acquired from pharmacies with a prescription, which means you cannot buy them over the counter. Stay away from people and drugstores who will sell you anti-psychotics without the required prescription.

When you do take medication, you have to stick with your doctor’s advice. Do not miss out on a dose, because you’ll only end up starting from square one all over again. The psychiatrist will have to test and experiment with various doses, combinations, and types of medications to see what works best for you.

What About Alternative Remedies?

Some practitioners of natural healing may claim to have herbal remedies that “cure” paranoia, or may say that they can “cure” paranoia with special hypnotic techniques. It doesn’t hurt to try herbal remedies or pay for hypnosis, although your psychiatrist may not recommend it. Some herbal remedies and hypnosis techniques do are not backed up by solid, scientific evidence, and may do you more harm than good.

Alternative medications are cheaper than anti-psychotic medications and psychiatric sessions, although there’s no guarantee that you’ll be cured or that your symptoms will be relieved. It’s still best to consult with a legitimate, licensed psychiatrist before you take any alternative remedies to help you with your problem.

Deal With It

Like any other mental disease, paranoia lasts for the long-term. While many people swear by “mind-over-matter” attitudes towards paranoia, it’s often the case that paranoid patients will have to deal with the disease for the rest of their lives. Encourage them to maintain a positive attitude, to not feel helpless, and try your best to convince them that no one is out to get them, and that they will not be harmed or killed. Paranoia can also take its toll on a patient’s relationships with other people. Try to be understanding and reasonable, and realize that you’re dealing with a person who has lost touch with reality. There is hope that he or she will come to grips with it, so you have to be supportive.

Reality may be relative, but it always has to be reasonable. Paranoia may be a catchphrase to some, but it’s a very real situation to others. With the right medication and treatment, the bad effects of paranoia on a patient’s social life will be reduced, and he or she can live normally again.