PERSECUTORY MANIA: definition, symptoms and treatment

Surely, on occasion you have been called paranoid or have thought that someone is paranoid. This term is generally used loosely as paranoia is the main symptom of delusional disorder or persecution delusion (or persecutory mania). At a general level, paranoias consist of the unshakable belief that something is happening or that something is from a form despite the evidence showing otherwise, so no evidence would change the person from idea.

Delusional disorder, also known as paranoid psychosis, to which the subtype of persecutory mania or persecution delusion would belong, is based on situations that could occur. That is to say, the delusion does not consist of something fanciful. However, this does not imply that that person is correct, but rather that he or she makes a wrong interpretation of reality.

Keep reading Psychology-Online to understand what is persecution mania and what are its symptoms and treatment. We will see what persecution mania means, what its causes are and how to help someone who presents it.

Index

1. What is persecution mania?
2. Causes of persecution mania
3. Symptoms of persecution mania
4. Treatment of persecutory mania

People with persecutory mania or with delusions of persecution are convinced that they or someone close to them are being persecuted, spied on or that a conspiracy is being carried out. All this in addition, they interpret that it is in order to do them some harm.

This belief remains despite showing evidence to the contrary. In addition, any act, gesture, or event that occurs either in their presence or witnessing it through television, for example, would interpret it as a demonstration that their belief has a basis well-founded. In some cases, this belief develops in the sense that they think that the interest of others is to ridicule them.

In this article we explain what are delusions and we expose all types of delusions, including delusions of persecution or persecution mania.

Persecution mania is a delusion, delusions have several causes, including:

• Psychotic disorders. This type of delusional disorder is often a symptom of schizophrenia, although this is not always the case and can be a disorder on its own. Persecution mania may be due to illness. It can also appear in manic episodes of bipolar disorder or in depressive disorders with psychotic symptoms.
• Substance use. On the other hand, the consumption of psychoactive substances is another cause of psychotic symptoms such as persecution mania.
• Cognitive impairment. Another possible cause of delusions is dementia.

What is a paranoid person like? Some of the most common symptoms of people with this type of delusions are:

• The presence of an idea unshakable belief, with no way to make you think otherwise.
• If someone asks about what is happening to them, the person tends not to give information, even becomes suspicious of whoever asks them as if they were part of the conspiracy.
• The idea affects the life of the individual and to all its areas, including work, social and family, since in general that idea does not disappear at any time.
• This condition is due to the individual focusing part of their time to search for evidence of your delusion.
• Everything that happens to the person ends relating to his delusion.
• This belief that you have, although it could be real in a hypothetical case, is highly unlikely.
• Any comment or action towards his delusion greatly affects him, so it is shown hypersensitive before himself.
• Usually when he is questioned about the veracity of his delusion, he reacts in a aggressive.
• Mood irritable or depressed.
• In response to delirium, the person ends up acquiring an attitude and a way of being somewhat extravagant and strange.
• Social isolation due to his distrust of others.
• Fatigue due to constant worry about his delirium.
• Afraid constant as well as anxiety in many of the cases.

Do delusions have a treatment? What is the therapy for persecution mania?

Pharmacotherapy

It is quite common to use antipsychotics like risperidone and antidepressants in order to reduce delusions. Although this medication is usually effective only temporarily in this type of problem. In addition, due to the nature of the disorder, the patient may come to think that his psychiatrist is part of a conspiracy and therefore refuses to take the medication or stops taking it after a weather.

In some cases, the use of some anxiolytics like benzodiazepines since the disorder can produce high levels of anxiety.

Psychological treatment

As a general rule, in this type of problem, the techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy are applied. This consists of the person writing down and expressing everything about her delusions and that, little by little, the psychologist and patient highlight the irrational ideas that he is having and go restructuring your thoughts as well as their behavior regarding delirium.

In any case, the ideal is a combined treatment since, in addition, the psychologist is essential for adherence to drug treatment.

Another type of exercises that would be performed in psychotherapy is the social skills training in order for the person to be able to reintegrate into society.

How to help a person with persecution mania? To help a paranoid person, the most important thing is to go to professionals, offer support and not confront or validate the delusion.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Persecutory mania: definition, symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• American Psychiatric Association. Paranoid personality disorder. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013:649-652.
• Blais MA, Smallwood P, Groves JE, Rivas-Vazquez RA, Hopwood CJ. Personality and personality disorders. In: Stern TA, Fava M, Wilens TE, Rosenbaum JF, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016: chap 39.