Learn more about the symptoms of paranoia. Or you might see things that aren’t really there. They might also tell you to do harmful things. For example, you may hear voices that make fun of you or insult you. You could also have related hallucinations, in which your senses aren’t working right. If someone is pushed over the edge, their actions usually focus on family members, not the public, and it happens at home. But sometimes, paranoid delusions can make them feel threatened and angry. People with schizophrenia aren't usually violent. And if you think that strangers are going to hurt you, you may feel like staying inside or being alone. These beliefs can cause trouble in your relationships. People in your neighborhood are plotting to harass you.Your spouse or partner is cheating on you.A co-worker is trying to hurt you, like poisoning your food.Paranoid delusions, also called delusions of persecution, reflect profound fear and anxiety along with the loss of the ability to tell what's real and what's not real. They might make you feel like: Paranoid Symptomsĭelusions are fixed beliefs that seem real to you, even when there's strong evidence they aren't. This can make it hard for them to hold a job, run errands, have friendships, and even go to the doctor.Īlthough it's a lifelong illness, you can take medicines and find help to stop symptoms or make them easier to live with. People with paranoid delusions are unreasonably suspicious of others.

The illness usually starts in late adolescence or young adulthood. This can show up in different ways and at different times, even in the same person. Schizophrenia is a kind of psychosis, which means your mind doesn't agree with reality. Paranoid schizophrenia, or schizophrenia with paranoia as doctors now call it, is the most common example of this mental illness.

Paranoid personality disorder examples