European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Paranoia suspicion taken to the extreme by Gayle Young United press International paranoia is one of the oldest but perhaps least understood mental disorders. In the 19lh Century it was synonymous Ullh insanity and Loday it is still not Well understood. Recent research into the disorder has been sketchy and psychiatrists say they Don t know what causes paranoia and Are not sure How to treat it. Nor do they know if paranoia is inherited or whether ii is linked to chemical abnormalities in the brain or to Lile experiences or to both paranoids become suspicious of incidents most people would not even notice. Doctors say their mistrust is so highly exaggerated that their personal and professional lives May be disrupted they can become sick with fear jealousy rage or Ell three office workers whispering in a Corner Are proof of a conspiracy. A Telephone ringing once then falling silent is proof of an illicit affair. Some suspicions Are Normal under certain circumstances such As when they Are entering a new Job situation or a new love Alfair said or. Kenneth Kendler professor of psychiatry at the medical College of Virginia in Richmond. People s suspicions May even be heightened if they have been victims of crimes. Broken love affairs or vicious colleagues in the past. But people with delusions go far beyond the Bounds of Normal reasoning Kendler said. They Are convinced people Are out to get them or their wife is having an affair and you can t argue them out of it  in Pool decades psychiatrists have separated paranoia from schizophrenia a much More common condition in which patients also Harbor delusions. But Many psychiatrists still use schizophrenic drugs such As Phenothiazines to treat paranoia even though there is Little evidence these drugs Woik on the disorder Kendler said. According to a recent report from the National Insl Lule of mental health outside of Washington there have been recent studies that would appear to link stress with paranoia. Researchers found paranoia is much More prevalent among immigrants and other people placed in stressful situations. However the report said stress is probably not the Only Factor in the disorder. A genetic defect a brain abnormality an information processing disability or All three could predispose a person to paranoia stress May merely act As a  it stated it is possible to make perfectly Normal people paranoid said Kendler. Who has studied paranoids and helped write the nigh report. Prisoners of War resuming Home Aller years of abuse exhibit paranoid behaviour people who have been put in severe stress  but doctors Lay most people who become paranoid develop the disorder later in we. Without any special mitigating circumstances people Wilh paranoid personalities Are mistrustful sires May to a Factor leading to paranoia Accord lug to recent Atu let. And constantly on their guard confirming their expectations with evidence thai is thin or non existent according to the nigh report. Since paranoia unlike schizophrenia does not Interior with the patient s ability to function Many paranoids live fairly Normal sometimes even successful lives. Paranoids May appear argumentative cold and uncompromising but they can continue to work competently. Although delusions Are slightly More common among women men Are More prone to paranoid delusions of jealousy Kendler said. La s even More common among men who Are impotent and who have a drinking problem he said. Every Little slain on a piece of cloth my is evidence their Wile is having an  occasionally these men May become dangerous to their spouses said Kendler. But the vast majority of mental patients Are not violent me said Many people Wilh paranoia Are never treated in fact they Pride themselves on their sell Perco ived ability to think rationally and clearly. But there arc patients with delusions so Strong that they do not have an easy time assimilating into Sci Oil. These people believe they Are the centers of intricate Cia polls or cleverly concealed assassination attempts. I had one Lecent immigrant who moved to new York who thought he was being tracked Down by assassins in a Fleet of special yellow cars that were following him Kendler said. Of course it was Only  hypochondria May signal emotional problems associated Pressa hypochondriac is often the Bull of jokes or Tho subject of comedy but being one is no laughing Mailer. He lends to misinterpret Normal body sensations As signs of illness often Wilh an unshakeable locus on a particular symptom. His fear of being seriously ill persists despite his physician s Assurance that physical examinations and often exhaustive diagnostic procedures reveal no problem according to or. Roberta r. Ball assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human Baha Vior. At the Jefferson medical College and director of the department s headache and pain Center. She is also a member of the medical staff of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Hypochondriac May become angry and frustrated because they believe they Are not receiving proper diagnosis or proper treatment their continued preoccupation with the fear of having a dread disease often reaches the Point where it impairs their stability to work their family relationships and social life she said. Hypochondria is a psychiatric disorder often associated with anxiety and depression and May represent a desire to avoid problems by focusing on bodily symptoms. But it is Ollen unidentified As a psychiatric disorder because patients Are More Likely to visit family physicians or other specialists she said. Two types of hypochondria have been identified primary hypochondria which stars in the Early years and continues throughout Lile and secondary hypochondria when a person May have bean conditioned by his Early environment to be sensitive to his bodily functions perhaps because someone in his Home had a chronic illness or symptoms were part of his daily life. This behaviour is often Learned from a relative who was also a hypochondriac Ball said. Some literature reports that hypochondria occurs almost equally in men and women while other studies report that it occurs slightly More often in men than women Lor no known reason. It peaks among males in their 30s and in females in their 40s. Hypochondriac often place themselves at risk by taking a great number of medications and submitting to Many invasive procedures she said. How can hypochondriac handle their problem some suggestions include scheduled visits to their family doctor Lor periodic checkups exercise after consulting with their family doctors developing a satisfying Hobby planning a wide Range of activities to divert their attention from their bodies and psychotherapy coupled with spliess management and relaxation and biofeedback training which May help reduce anxiety As Well As divert attention irom bodily unctions. When dealing with a family member or intend who butlers irom hypo Honda. Continue Lobo supportive but avoid conversation entered on medical complaints and seek a pleasant activity to share Ball said tuesday april 2t, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17