Paranoia

About this book

In psychiatry, paranoia is a wrong perception in which a person thinks others are planning to harm them. A paranoid person may believe people are concerned with everything they are doing (for example, "Everyone is watching me", or "Talking about me"). These beliefs can also be persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (e.g., "Everyone is out to get me"). Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paranoia World English Dictionary] (Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009, William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.) 3. informal sense: intense fear or suspicion, esp when unfounded Paranoia is distinct from phobias, which also involve irrational fear, but usually no blame.