What Is Acute Paranoia?

Acute paranoia is a clinically recognized personality disorder characterized by extreme distrust, hostility and suspicion of others for unfounded and often delusional reasons. A person who suffers from paranoia is limited regarding healthy social interactions including work environments and personal relationships.

Cause

The cause of a mental disorder such as paranoia is unknown; however; there are some factors that might cause the disorder's development. Paranoia is a possible side effect for individuals who abuse drugs such as PCP, cocaine and alcohol. Extreme stress is another possible cause of paranoia.

Symptoms

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A person suffering from paranoia will read a negative meaning from an innocent remark, will believe a certain person or people in general are “out to get him” and will stay preoccupied with unfounded doubts about the people around him.

Treatment

Treatment for acute paranoia depends on any underlying conditions such as drug abuse, stress or other mental illness. Individual cases might call for medication, psychosocial therapy or a combination of both for proper treatment of the disorder.