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Symptom: Paranoia



Introduction: Paranoia

Paranoia is a type of delusion, a firmly held but nevertheless unrealistic belief. Paranoia is a persecutory delusion that someone will harm you in some way, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

» Review Causes of Paranoia: full list

Causes of Paranoia:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Paranoia. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

See full list of 31 causes of Paranoia

» Review Causes of Paranoia: full list

Causes of Types of Paranoia:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Paranoia:

More types of Paranoia

Paranoia: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Paranoia, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

See full list of 590 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Paranoia

Home Diagnostic Testing and Paranoia

Home medical tests possibly related to Paranoia:

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Paranoia

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Paranoia:

Diagnostic Guides for Paranoia

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Paranoia from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Paranoia. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Paranoia

Medical Books Excerpts
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms"
  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Paranoia

Schizophrenia often has misdiagnosed hidden cause: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on a study citing that 83% of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia actually had brain lesions (i.e. brain tumors) or temporal lobe seizures. See ...read more »

Cushing's disease can be mistaken for depression: Cushing's disease (or similarly Cushing's syndrome) is a possible misdiagnosis for a person diagnosed with depression. It is an endocrine disorder with many depressive-like...read more »

Manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder often misdiagnosed: Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, is often misdiagnosed before reaching a correct diagnosis. Some of the common misdiagnoses include depression and schizophrenia...read more »

Epilepsy misdiagnosed as schizophrenia: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on a case of a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia, but later diagnosed...read more »

Simple hearing loss can be misdiagnosed: Elderly patients can be misdiagnosed owing to symptoms of paranoia, when the underlying cause is really simple hearing loss. Due to their inability to...read more »

Various mental health symptoms caused by rare epilepsy: Temporal lobe epilepsy is a less common form of epilepsy that does not have the typical physical seizures. Patients can suffer...read more »

Rare seizure-less epilepsy misdiagnosed as various conditions: A complex partial seizure disorder, such as temporal lobe epilepsy can be misdiagnosed as various conditions. Some of the...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially misdiagnosed as a "nervous breakdown" and...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease, it can also...read more »

ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults. Some adults can...read more »

Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians. Many patients with...read more »

Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with an eating disorder is female. The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or have...read more »

Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe...read more »

Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see ...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Paranoia

Diagnostic tests for Paranoia:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Paranoia. Some of these are listed below :

  • Mental state examination - including appearance, behavior, rate and continuity of speech, mood, affect, thought content, evidence of any hallucinations or abnormal beliefs, orientation to time, place and person, attention and concentration, short-term memory, insight and judgement.
  • Physical examination
    • Does the person smell of alcohol
    • Temperature
    • Neurological examination to look for focal neurological signs and papilledema

See full list of 21 diagnostic tests for Paranoia

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Paranoia. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

  • May need to get some history from family members and friends. Paranoid people are most likely to present following requests by family and friends. Paranoid people are by nature suspicious of others and they do not often present voluntarily for care
  • How long have you noticed the paranoia? - to determine if acute or chronic. If acute in nature must consider delirium or a new onset of psychiatric illness as a possible cause of delusion. Delirium is an acute confusional state due to many causes e.g. infection, drug intoxication, alcohol withdrawal, hypoxia (reduced oxygen levels in the blood), stroke or head injury. If the onset is chronic a diagnosis of a psychiatric illness or dementia may be more likely.
  • What are the symptoms and features of the paranoid thoughts? - e.g. general suspiciousness; fears and beliefs that they are being persecuted, taken advantage of, or wronged in some way; inability to trust or confide in others; hostility if it is perceived that others are prying or scheming against the person; reluctance to sign any sort of paper work; excessive concern about confidentiality; refusal to accept medication or other forms of treatment due to suspiciousness or lack of trust in the clinician's motives; history of repeated terminations of employment.
  • How would you describe the person's personality? - Paranoia may be a personality trait characterized by social isolation, hypersensitivity and suspiciousness that may lie inside or outside the range of "normal" behavior. People are diverse and some people have more paranoid beliefs or beliefs in conspiracy theories than other people.
  • Was there a known precipitating factor to the paranoid thoughts and behavior? - e.g. physical illness, starting a different medication, abstaining from alcohol. Paranoid thinking is likely to be heightened by stress.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Paranoia (19 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Paranoia) may include:

  • Memory loss? - Paranoia may be the presenting feature in dementing elderly people.
  • Persecutory delusions? - include beliefs that centre around the theme that you are being deliberately wronged, or conspired against, or harmed by another person or agency. Such beliefs are often associated with schizophrenia.
  • Delusions of jealousy? - belief, without good reason, that your partner is unfaithful. May be associated with Delusional disorder.
  • Hallucinations? - false sensory perception in which you see, hear, smell, sense or taste something that other people do not see, hear, smell or taste. Auditory hallucinations may occur with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, dementia or delirium, and their content tends to be related to the nature of the disorder. Visual hallucinations are most common with delirium.
  • Psychotic symptoms? - e.g. delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking - may suggest schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but these symptoms may also be present with delirium, dementia and severe depression.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Paranoia (19 listings)

Stories from Users for Paranoia

Real-life user stories relating to Paranoia:

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Paranoia or relevant symptoms:

Videos for Paranoia

Schizophrenia Overview

Schizophrenia OverviewSchizophrenia affects 2.5 million people in the United States alone, but few people know anything about the disease and its symptoms. Listen as our...

Schizophrenia and Family

Schizophrenia and FamilyWith the distorted understanding that comes with schizophrenia comes drastic changes in relationships with other people, from close friends to people...

 

Schizophrenia Treatment

Schizophrenia TreatmentSchizophrenia is a disease that can have devastating effects on a person's ability to function effectively in his or her world. Though there is...

Schizophrenia Treatment

Schizophrenia TreatmentAdherence to medication is important in the treatment of schizophrenia. Listen to experts describe strategies that may help people take their...

 
See full list of 4 related videos

Patient Surveys for Paranoia

Medications or substances causing Paranoia:

The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible causes of Paranoia as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

See full list of 34 medications causing Paranoia

Drug interactions causing Paranoia:

When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Paranoia as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

  • Imipramine and Methyltestosterone interaction

See full list of 1 drug interactions causing Paranoia

Organs affected by Paranoia:

The list of organs typically affected by Paranoia may include, but is not limited to:

Detailed list of causes of Paranoia

The list below shows some of the causes of Paranoia mentioned in various sources:

See full list of 31 causes of Paranoia

How Common are these Causes of Paranoia?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Paranoia. Of the 31 causes of Paranoia that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

  • 2 causes are "very common" diseases
  • 2 causes are "common" diseases
  • 0 causes are "uncommon" diseases
  • 1 causes are "rare" diseases
  • 1 causes are "very rare" diseases
  • 26 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 31 causes of Paranoia

Conditions listing symptoms: Paranoia:

The following list of conditions have 'Paranoia' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

A

  • Acute intermittent porphyria ... paranoia
  • Alcohol Withdrawal ... paranoid delusions
  • Alcoholism ... paranoid delusions
  • Amphetamine abuse ... paranoia

    C

  • Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia ... paranoia
  • Choreoacanthocytosis amyotrophic ... paranoia
  • Congenital hepatic porphyria ... paranoia

    E

  • Ecstasy abuse ... paranoid symptoms
  • Ecstasy withdrawal ... paranoid delusions

    L

  • Lupus ... paranoia

    M

  • Marijuana abuse ... paranoia

    P

  • Paranoid Personality Disorder ... paranoia, paranoid beliefs
  • Porphyria ... paranoia
  • Psychosis ... paranoia
  • Psychotic disorders ... paranoia

    S

  • Schizoid Personality Disorder ... paranoid beliefs
  • Schizophrenia ... paranoid delusions
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder ... paranoid beliefs
  • Self-induced water intoxication and schizophrenic disorders syndrome ... paranoid delusions
  • Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ... paranoia

    T

  • Tolterodine toxicity ... paranoia

    V

  • Variegate porphyria ... paranoia
  • Velocardiofacial syndrome ... paranoid delusions

    W

  • Wolfram's disease ... Paranoia

    Conditions listing complications: Paranoia:

    The following list of conditions have 'Paranoia' or similar listed as a complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

    L

  • Lupus ... paranoia

    P

  • Porphyria ... paranoia

    Join in at the forums

    Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.

    Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.

    See a list of all the medical forums

  • Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Paranoia?

    Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Paranoia, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
    Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

    Classifications of Paranoia:

    Subtypes of Paranoia:

    Severe paranoid reaction, Hearing voices (2 causes)

    Medical Conditions associated with Paranoia:

    Delusions (50 causes), Mental problems (1922 causes), Behavioral symptoms (2729 causes), Personality symptoms (2444 causes)

    Symptoms related to Paranoia:

    Delusions (50 causes)

    Paranoia as a disease:

    You may also want to research other Diseases in our Disease Center.

    Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

    Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

    These general medical articles may be of interest:

    See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

    Medical News summaries about Paranoia

    Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Paranoia and many other medical conditions:


    More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:


     » Next page: Causes of Paranoia

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