Paranoid Patients Paranoia is different from a delusional thought process; however, there are some similarities. Paranoid patients are more likely to have suffered from this condition for most of their lives. This condition is more likely to be inherited, especially if more than one person in the family suffers from it. Paranoid Thinking Trey is a patient that was hospitalized for knee surgery. He is also a person that suffers from diagnosed paranoia. He works diligently to keep his condition under control, however, his hospitalization provoked his condition, and he describes his hospital stay. According to Trey, he was doing ok until he was admitted, and his family left, he was then alone with the hospital staff. Trey said he started to wonder if the nurses made his family leave so that they could treat him badly, or harm him. The more he thought of this, the worse the thoughts became. He was soon convinced that they were planning to steal his organs and sell them on the black market. While this is a possible scenario, it was not the case at all. They had attended therapy for a number of years, and when he realized he was thinking of things that were most likely not real, he began to practice his exercises to decrease paranoid thoughts. He wrote down what he thought should be happening around him, and then wrote down what concerned him. Comparing them both, he realized what was being done was exactly what should be happening. Before long he was able to de-escalate his thought process and realize he was being helped and not harmed. With proper treatment and therapy, patients can learn how to control their thoughts and actions, then go on to live normal productive lives. Related: Patient Family History Helping to Calm a Paranoid Patient A patient that is paranoid is generally 4-5 steps ahead of you in their thought process. You may be ready to address a concern they have expressed, while they have moved on to multiply other thoughts by that time. A paranoid patient often has a mind like a roller coaster, however, it can be like a roller coaster that has no off switch. The more they try to relax, and not think of a negative thought, the more they actually end up doing just that. If a patient expresses concern to you, try to assure them they are in good hands. Sometimes just a look out the room the patient is in, can remind them there is a hospital full of patients, and they are not standing out any differently than anyone else. It usually works to
acknowledge the negative or worrisome thoughts. Telling someone to simply let it go will not work, if it did they would not continue to have the problem. Listening to their concern, some of which are most certainly valid, and agreeing that the rational concerns are real, however when they begin to have irrational or obsessive thoughts, remind them that it's not real, and to think things through carefully. Often times paranoid patients can revert back to reality with some reminders to think things through. Paranoia is a condition that millions of people have to an extent. Have you ever felt as though someone was talking about you, or staring intensely at you? That is a natural and an occasional form of paranoia, that quickly goes away as you move on. For some people, those feelings do not go away, and they have to work to control them, and to convince themselves the thoughts they are having are not real. It can be a challenge to control the thought process, but millions of people do control paranoid thinking every day, proving there is hope. Offer hope and encouragement to your paranoid patient. With the right course of treatment they can live a normal and productive life. Related: List of nursing organizations Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter