Paranoia 'a widespread problem'

BBC ^ | 3 July 2006 | BBC

[managusta]

One in three people in the UK regularly suffers paranoid or suspicious fears, clinical psychologists have found.

A team at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London interviewed 1,200 people about whether they had thoughts about others doing them harm.

They found levels of paranoia were much higher than previously suspected - and almost as high as those for depression and anxiety.

The researchers say paranoia can cause real distress.

The study found that:

* Over 40% of people regularly worry that negative comments are being made about them

* 27% think that people deliberately try to irritate them

* 20% worry about being observed or followed

* 10% think that someone has it in for them

* 5% worry that there is a conspiracy to harm them

Researcher Dr Daniel Freeman said: "We were astonished at how common paranoia and suspicion are amongst the population.

Greg, 19, student: "If I'm with a friend and someone rings them on their mobile and they tell the caller they're with me, well if the caller then says something I can't hear and the friend I'm with laughs, I always think that the person on the other end of the phone said something horrible about me."

"Understandably there are certain instances when it is important to practice caution, such as taking money from a cash machine without alerting too much attention and walking down a poorly-lit street at night.

"Following last year's London bombings, it is natural that underground train travellers are more vigilant than before.

"However, our research demonstrates that there can be a tendency to exaggerate our fears."

"Our study shows just how many of us are worrying - probably unnecessarily - about something that might not happen instead of getting on with the more enjoyable and productive parts of our lives.

"We also found in our study that these suspicious thoughts can cause real distress."

Dr Freeman said in the past paranoid thinking had been assumed to occur only in people with severe mental illness, partly because of a reticence in the general population about talking about paranoid thoughts.

He said that until recently little was known about how to help people overcome their fears.

But he said there were now effective ways - such as cognitive behaviour therapy and self-help techniques - to tackle the problem.

Dr David Harper, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of East London, agreed that paranoid thoughts were probably more common than people realised.

He said: "People need to realise that these sorts of thoughts are not that rare, and should not be too frightened by them."

Dr Harper said there was probably something about contemporary Western society which encouraged feelings of paranoia.

"There are surveys to show that people are much less willing to trust others than they once were," he said.

He suggested the media had helped create a climate of suspicion by playing on people's fears.

A new website - paranoidthoughts.com - is being launched to provide information on paranoid thoughts, advice on seeking help, and opportunities for people to share their experiences.

[managusta]

Neatly categorizes Liberals and explains the "Sky's falling" stories in the MSM.

In the US the alternative to paranoidthoughts.com is The Daily Kos.com and Democratic Underground.com.

[tet68]

Must be the disarming of the citizens.
I'm armed all the time and I'm NEVER paranoid.

[kromike]

A wise T-Shirt once said, "Perfect Paranoia is Perfect Awareness"

[GeronL]

My first thought from the headline was that there are Dupes and Dummies in the UK too.

[martin_fierro]

Paranoia 'a widespread problem'

That's what they want you to think.

[spanalot]

The left has done a very capable job in the last 70 years of thoroughly gutting England of its elan vital.


"Rule Brittania" or "Ruined Brittania"

[Cyclopean Squid]

Paranoia is widespread? It must be something in the water. They put it there.

[toru watanabe]

Bush Deragement Syndrome is widespread throughout Europe.

[leadpenny]

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't following you."

[martin_fierro]

[Alouette]

*Over 40% of people regularly worry that negative comments are being made about them
* 27% think that people deliberately try to irritate them
* 20% worry about being observed or followed
* 10% think that someone has it in for them
* 5% worry that there is a conspiracy to harm them

Where did they interview these people? At the local mosque? (Or maybe not--then the numbers would have been much higher)

[GeronL]

I am not paranoid, I just don't trust anyone........... EVER!!

[Jameison]

"One in three people in the UK regularly suffers paranoid or suspicious fears, clinical psychologists have found"

And that is a surprise how?
We know for starters that everyone that works for Al Guardian suffers from severe psychosis is in this moonbat rant from Al Guardian right here:

"As in Florida in 2000, and as in Ohio in 2004, the exit polls show the voters voted for the progressive candidate"


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1659923/posts

[Billthedrill]

I've been paranoid ever since that other little kid on the merry-go-round started following me...

[Madame Dufarge]

A new website - paranoidthoughts.com - is being launched to provide information on paranoid thoughts, advice on seeking help, and opportunities for people to share their experiences.

Yes, by all means, let's create a website where normal human behavior is pathologized, with links guiding us to the "caring" places that offer remedies to this most awful of conditions.

[martin_fierro]

I am not paranoid, I just don't trust anyone........... EVER!!

I'd like to believe you, but...

[CindyDawg]

5% worry that there is a conspiracy to harm them

The 5% class "ain't" wrong')

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Paranoia 'a widespread problem'

Who told you to say that?

[impatient]

27% think that people deliberately try to irritate them

We can classify this group as people with younger siblings.

[George from New England]

Bingo. Let the citizens arm themselves and problem solved.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Perhaps this is a result of widespread use of cannabis.
Perhaps it is the result of a PC Fascist government seizing all the weapons available for personal defense and leaving them to be plundered by criminals, in which case it is not really paranoia, but rational fear.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"Paranoia will destroy you..."-The Kinks

[CindyDawg]

Hey! We are watching you.

[TASMANIANRED]

Total comes up to >100%....Some of the folks are suffering from all of them.

[Mr. Mojo]

Self-destroyer, wreck your health
Destroy friends, destroy yourself
The time device of self-destruction
Light the fuse and start eruption

Paranoia, the destroyer

[SteveMcKing]

Paranoia is a virtue to anyone who has seen the real sides of life that others haven't.

It's exploitable and often comical, but I generally don't hold it against people.

[mad_as_he$$]

Wasn't there a story yesterday about how evil the
Brits thought we were? Now we know why.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

" Paranoia Blues "

Words & music by Paul Simon

I got some so-called friends
They’ll smile right to my face
Oh, when my back is turned
They’d like to stick it to me
Yes they would
Oh no no, oh no no
There’s only one thing I need to know
Whose side are you on?

I fly into j.f.k.
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
Oh no no. oh no, no
There’s only one thing I need to know
Whose side are you on, whose side are you on?

I got the paranoia blues
Fnom knockin’ around in new york city
Where they roll you for a nickel
And they stick you for the extra dime

Anyway you choose
You’re bound to lose in new york city
Oh, I just got out in the nick of time
Well, I just got out in the nick of time

Once I was down in chinatown
I was eating some lin’s chow fon
I happened to turn around
And when I looked I see
My chow fon’s gone
Oh no, no, oh no, no
There’s only one thing I need to know
Whose side are you on, whose side are you on?
Well, there’s only one thing I need to know
Whose side, whose side, whose side?

[x]

Over 40% of people regularly worry that negative comments are being made about them

I have to wonder about that. Isn't it more that people regularly worry that negative comments could be made about them in this or that circumstance? It's natural human insecurity, not a mental disorder.

And in many environments "negative comments" really are more common than a social scientist might assume. They're pretty much a way of life for human beings.

[HoosierHawk]

"i'm only paranoid because everyone else is against me."

[capt. norm]

Message to all the paranoid people out there (and some of you are really "out there"):

All plans for "you know what" have been put off until July 29th. You are safe to have a fun 4th of July and will have 24 additional days to complete the construction of your shelter before the "biggie" happens.

That's all I'm allowed to say at this time. I'm down to my last roll of Reynold's Wrap Aluminum Foil.

[Sofa King]

Oh come on, how can the word irony not have come up yet?

[familyop]

What we practice contributes to our behavior. It could have something to do with a preponderance of conspiracy statements (about the USA, Israel and the like) and doublemindedness about terrorists (victimology) in the media there.

[pax_et_bonum]

lol!

Your paranoid man is hilarious!

[familyop]

"I'd like to believe you, but..."

Ha! Is that photo from the post that my tagline came from? That was a riot!

[the invisib1e hand]

just because there's a surveillance camera on every corner, and just because your neighbors watch you, and just because your car logs your driving habits on a little computer that OnStar sends to GM, and just because your every keystroke and all your website activity is logged downloaded by who knows who, doesn't mean you're being watched.

does it?

[capt. norm]

What we practice contributes to our behavior.

I'm making that my 'thought for the day'....it's worthy of a tag line on this forum.

It's something I've observed for years, but just never pieced it together.

[Lazamataz]

Paranoia 'a widespread problem'

I knew it was. And they are all targeting ME!!!!

[Lazamataz]

27% think that people deliberately try to irritate them

If I'm around, make that 100%.

[ladyinred]

No wonder they feel this way with the lying MSM always scaring the you know what out of people!

[Lazamataz]

What we practice contributes to our behavior.

I practice hedonism with no success; I practice silliness in all my affairs; and I practice sitting on an inner tube and going Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy ....

[ladyinred]

Actually you are right. There are those out there wanting to kill all of us who are not of their so called religion.

[jsh3180]

(looking in mirror)

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the f**k do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? Huh? Ok.

[festus]

Next step will be declaring anyone who thinks the libs are up to no good as suffering from paranoid delusions and locking em up and drugging them.

Or at least thats what my tooth filling has been intercepting lately.

[Izzy Dunne]

Is that photo from the post that my tagline came from?

You mean the Toshiba Mind-Controlled Rodeo Horse that killed Malcolm Baldridge?

[IonInsights]

*Over 40% of people regularly worry that negative comments are being made about them
* 27% think that people deliberately try to irritate them
* 20% worry about being observed or followed
* 10% think that someone has it in for them
* 5% worry that there is a conspiracy to harm them

They're right

[NaughtiusMaximus]

(Sounds of eldritch laughter in background.)

They're beginning to become AWARE, comrades, but it's way too late!!

(More eldritch laughter.)

[Canedawg]

How come no one told me there was a thread going on here?

[familyop]

"I'm making that my 'thought for the day'....it's worthy of a tag line on this forum."

Use it, if you like! I learned it during my first three months at Ft. Leonard Wood.

[familyop]

"You mean the Toshiba Mind-Controlled Rodeo Horse that killed Malcolm Baldridge?"

Yes. Thanks! I'd lost that link. If anyone needs maniacal cheering-up that will do it.