How To Stop Paranoia: Treatments For Related Disorders

While many people experience moments of paranoia from time to time, paranoia in the clinical sense can be related to certain mental health conditions. The symptoms of paranoia can be intrusive and may affect everyday life in numerous ways, leading many people to ask how to stop paranoia symptoms. Below, we’ll look at various causes of paranoid thoughts and treatments that may reduce paranoia symptoms, including therapy with a licensed mental health professional.

What are paranoid thoughts?

What is schizophrenia?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), schizophrenia affects approximately 0.45% of adults around the world. 

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a person must meet two of the following criteria most of the time for at least a month:

1. Delusions
2. Hallucinations
3. Disorganized speech (frequently seeming incoherent or becoming derailed)
4. 4. Disorganized or catatonic behavior
5. Negative symptoms (a lack of motivation or emotional expression)

To qualify for a schizophrenia diagnosis, a person must experience at least one of the first three criteria: delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (sensory experiences of nonexistent stimuli), or disorganized speech.

How paranoid thoughts and other schizophrenia symptoms can be treated

Paranoid thoughts and other symptoms of schizophrenia are often treated with medication and therapy. Antipsychotics may relieve symptoms like hallucinations and delusions during an acute phase of schizophrenia, and they may also reduce the risk of future psychotic episodes. 

Individuals living with schizophrenia may benefit from talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Some people may also receive assistance with employment and social skills, which is often referred to as psychosocial support. 

What is delusional disorder?

Delusional disorder is included in the DSM-5-TR under the section Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders. To be diagnosed with delusional disorder, a person must have had at least one delusion (false belief) for a minimum of one month. The person’s symptoms must not occur due to substance use, a medical condition, or another mental health disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 

The delusions that people with this disorder experience can come in various types, including the following:

• Jealous: People with a jealous delusion may be convinced that their significant other is being unfaithful. 
• Grandiose: Those with the grandiose delusional type may believe they’ve made an important discovery or possess an incredible talent. 
• Erotomanic: Someone with an erotomanic delusion typically believes that someone famous or otherwise notable is in love with them. 
• Persecutory: A person with the persecutory delusional type may believe that others are spying on them, trying to hurt them, or conspiring against them. 
• Somatic: The somatic delusional type is usually related to bodily sensations or functions.  

How to stop paranoia and other symptoms of delusional disorder 

Paranoia and other symptoms of delusional disorder might be treated with a combination of medication and talk therapy. Specifically, doctors may prescribe typical or atypical antipsychotics. 

When it comes to therapy, therapists may need to build rapport with clients before using cognitive behavioral therapy to challenge delusional thoughts. Patients and their families may also benefit from family therapy, which can provide education about delusional disorder and improve communication. 

What is bipolar disorder?

While many people believe that bipolar disorder always consists of mood swings between depression and excitability, there are two types of bipolar disorder. With bipolar II disorder, a person usually experiences depressive and hypomanic episodes. However, to be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, a person must have had at least one manic episode. 

The DSM-5-TR describes a manic episode as follows: “A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy, lasting at least 1 week and present most of the day, nearly every day (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary).”

A person living with bipolar disorder may experience paranoid thoughts during a depressive episode or a manic episode. They may experience distrust and believe that other people are conspiring against them, which could lead to hypervigilance. People with bipolar disorder paranoia may also become defensive, interpreting benign comments as personal attacks. 

Can paranoid thoughts and other symptoms of bipolar disorder be treated?

Paranoid thoughts and other symptoms of bipolar disorder can often be treated with medication and therapy. People living with bipolar disorder may benefit from prescription antipsychotics, in addition to mood stabilizers or antidepressants for changes in mood. 

Therapists may use a variety of therapeutic approaches for bipolar disorder, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal and social rhythm therapy. Mental health professionals may also use family-focused therapy to provide psychoeducation about bipolar disorder to patients and their family members. 

What is paranoid personality disorder? 

Paranoid personality disorder is listed among the 10 personality disorders in the DSM-5-TR. 

To be diagnosed with this personality disorder, a person must meet at least four of the following criteria:

1. Suspecting that others are harming, exploiting, or deceiving them without evidence
2. Being preoccupied with doubts about others’ trustworthiness or loyalty without reason
3. Being reluctant to confide in others due to unwarranted fear that the information they share will be used against them
4. Reading threatening or demeaning meanings into benign events or remarks
5. Frequently holding grudges
6. Perceiving attacks on their character that aren’t apparent to others and being quick to counterattack
7. Having recurrent suspicions that their partner is cheating on them without evidence or justification

How can paranoid personality disorder be treated?

Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) can be treated with psychotherapy. A person’s paranoia symptoms may improve with methods like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Despite possible challenges with building trust during therapy, a therapist may be able to help individuals with PPD with communication and social skills. If a person with PPD experiences severe symptoms or also has anxiety or depression, they may be prescribed medication. 

Talking to a mental health professional for a diagnosis

Before assuming that paranoid thoughts are arising due to a mental disorder, it’s generally recommended that individuals speak with a licensed mental health professional. There are often specific criteria related to duration and severity that must be met for a person to be diagnosed with a disorder involving paranoia. 

A mental health professional may be able to distinguish between transient paranoid thoughts and persistent paranoia that could be indicative of a psychotic disorder or another mental illness. 

Online therapy for those with paranoid thoughts

Those whose paranoia symptoms make it challenging to leave home might consider online therapy. With online therapy, they can participate in sessions from the comfort of their homes via videoconferencing. Those who aren’t comfortable with video chats can communicate with a therapist via audio or live chat. 

Can an online mental health professional help those with a diagnosis related to paranoia?

Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of online therapy, including for disorders that can cause paranoia. For example, one study published in 2017 found that online therapy could effectively treat bipolar disorder, as well as depression, which can be a common comorbidity of bipolar disorder.