Amadeus Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Paranoia more common than thought BBC News 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. Explains a lot around here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 I think most of the answers as to why can be found at the bottom of the article: "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 suggested the media had helped create a climate of suspicion by playing on people's fears." The media are destroying the UK by being allowed to set the agenda mainly by portraying 'the unlikely as the likely' - and we are allowing them to get away with it. This is especially the case when it comes to their coverage of foreigners, including the de-humanisation of foreigners. This downward spiral will continue unless politicians stop pandering to the media and we have some proper laws to govern the media (e.g. limits on the number of newspapers people/companies can own, much higher penalties for liable/mistakes, and the automatic right to free legal aid if you feel that you have been vilified by the media etc.). That Ruport Murdoch says he has decided to back the tories at the next election should be unimportant and trivial news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkydevil Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 You are not alone? That's just a red rag to a bull for someone who's paranoid isn't it? "I know that I'm not alone, and all these other people are looking at me, sending me signals with their brains ... aaargh!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haX0red_Account Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 but isn't this just a reflection of a much 'nastier' society- people are imagining nastier things are said because they ARE? Compare with 10, 20, 30 years ago there's much more freedom, there are flatter hierachies at work etc, we can all speak our minds much more...and with that comes PARANOIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 but isn't this just a reflection of a much 'nastier' society- people are imagining nastier things are said because they ARE? Compare with 10, 20, 30 years ago there's much more freedom, there are flatter hierachies at work etc, we can all speak our minds much more...and with that comes PARANOIA! Actually I would suggest its a time / affluence thing. People in Africa (for instance) have not got time to get paranoid as they have to constantly struggle to survive. Its grind 24/7 just to survive. No time to worry what anyone thinks. (Non drug induced) Paranoia is very much a middle class disease ... too much time to think about too many things. Too many worries about things that don't matter. Too worried about what other people think about you / your house / your car / your friends. I've seen it in so many people over the last 10 years. The wealthier people get the more f**ked up they become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haX0red_Account Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 wouldn't argue with that- devil makes work and all that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Instead of worrying about paranoia, we ought to be grateful for it. After all, without it, at least 50% of the forum members would have nothing whatsoever to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Just wait till ID cards come in and they later start inserting RFID chips in them. Shopping Trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Reznor Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 if you're paranoid, don't watch Fox News... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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