Understanding Paranoia: A Guide for Professionals, Families, and Sufferers

Dr. Kantor vividly takes us inside the minds of people who are paranoid - experiencing delusions of persecution, from thinking others are out to get them to falsely believing they have a physical illness. Kantor also explains to us other facets of the paranoid personality, including suspiciousness, hypersensitivity, extreme vigilance, simmering anger and a tendency to blame others for and absolve oneself of almost everything. How does such paranoia affect each of our lives? Whether you are a paranoiac wanting to recover from this emotional disorder, or a person looking for the best way to deal with a paranoid husband, wife, friend, boss or acquaintance, this book offers understanding and guidance. Paranoid individuals are not invariably social misfits. They are to be found in all walks of life and in all professions, suffering from this disorder that distorts behaviour and affects those with whom they come in contact, often in devastating ways. Politicians who engage in negative campaigning, spouses who beat or kill their partners, people in road rage incidents are all among the possibly paranoid, as are students who shoot their schoolmates and teachers or sacked workers who return and shoot their former colleagues. Recognizing and treating paranoid behaviours can prevent or reduce antisocial activity and violence against individuals and society.