Persecution Mania: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Each of us has at least once met a person who is convinced that something evil is being plotted against him, they are spying on him. When such facts are not verified, they say that this individual has a persecution mania, which in the language of official medical science is called persecutory delirium or delirium of persecution.

Delusions of persecution - a significant change in perception of the world, this condition is a severe disorder of thinking, mental illness, in the presence of which the patient I am absolutely sure that someone alone or even a certain group of malefactors are monitoring him, pursuing him, spying, or even plotting terrible intrigues - killing, poisoning, strangulation, theft.

At the same time, neighbors, colleagues, and some secret organization, political or military association, government, secret services can act as enemies for a person with a persecution mania. Even aliens and evil spirits can chase.

The very idea that there is surveillance, and there are threats, makes the patient almost a master of conspiracy - in order to avoid the imaginary danger that seems so real and obvious, a person is capable of actions that are more suitable for the heroes of a spy movie saga: they change appearances and passwords, routes, can jump out of transport on the go,to change it to another and so try to "get away from the chase." But it is with this that significant difficulties arise - wherever a person is, he everywhere notices that he is being watched. Therefore, severe psychosis, phobias develop, a person can be quite aggressive.

Patients do not realize that their ideas about the world are not true. They live in their reality, full of dangers. They don’t consider themselves sick, they often write numerous complaints to various authorities. These authorities are obliged to check appeals, and pretty quickly the truth becomes apparent. But even after this, patients with persecution mania do not change their beliefs, and those who refused to investigate them are accused of conspiring with “intruders”.

Often, people who behave this way are called paranoid, although, to be precise, paranoia is a separate mental health disorder that may accompany persecutory delirium.

Despite the fact that the disease has been known for several centuries, there is no more understanding of the reasons why it appears. Only predisposing factors are known that can provoke an ailment:

• excessive control over the external environment and self-control as a character trait;
• human victim complex;
• helplessness, lack of independence in many vital matters;
• incredulous and aggressive reaction to others.

In the vast majority of cases, such a mental illness is formed in individuals, which for a long time were subjected to humiliation, insults, beatings, violence. Gradually, resentment and fear became habitual, and the person began to try to avoid the unpleasant decision-making process and responsibility for his own life. Such personalities usually blame others for their failures and troubles; they do not consider themselves guilty. This is the victim complex.

People experiencing mistrust and aggression towards others as a predisposing factor are very touchy. They regard any remark as a strong insult and a threat to their security, and for it they are ready to start a fight. Often they claim that they become victims of "human injustice", "venality of the authorities", "arbitrariness of the security forces."

In search of the real root cause of the delusions of persecution, the researchers found some features (presumably congenital) of the central nervous system in people with this diagnosis. These are very sensitive people who tend to exaggerate. If a child with the described type of nervous system is overly patronized or ignored, then at a certain point the formation of a complex of a helpless victim begins. Under the influence of any traumatic adverse life circumstances, the nervous system gives a global glitch, and the symptoms of the disease appear.

Psychiatrists are sure that it is not only the upbringing and personal characteristics of the central nervous system, but also the disruption of the brain. The first such reason as alleged was voiced by the famous Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who was sure that a section of pathological activity appeared in the human brain, which caused a change in his usual activity.

Each of us perceives the world around us through the “points” of our perception and our individuality. But in general, the picture, so different for us in the details, is generally quite similar. If an individual with a mental illness violates the perception of reality, the prism of perception becomes different, then the small details and the general picture of the world change. Often the delusions of persecution in men and women is not the only disease. Very often it goes along with schizophrenia, alcoholic psychosis, Alzheimer's disease in elderly people, but isolated persecution mania is also possible.

The fundamental signs of mental pathology are the presence of the so-called logic curve - false beliefs that make a person believe that someone is monitoring him, that he is in mortal danger. It is impossible to convince a sick mania of persecution. His thinking does not accept any arguments, no matter how convincing and reasonable they may be. In other words, human thinking is not subject to correction from the outside.

On the physical level, this is manifested by anxiety, fussiness, constant anxiety. A person who believes that they are watching him, they want to kill him, begins to behave very strange, but his actions seem strange only to outside observers. For himself, his actions are quite logical.

Often, a patient with delusions of persecution refuses the usual actions if the arguments of the “logic curve” apply to him: if he suspects that enemy spies want to poison him, he can stop eating, and if he is sure that agents of a foreign intelligence service want to hit him with a machine, he categorically avoids it to cross the road. When convinced that surveillance occurs through the window, patients may not open the curtains, seal the window panes with paper or paint over with dark paint. A foil helmet (“so that extraterrestrials do not read minds”) is an action from the same series.

For delusions of persecution are characteristic:

• constant obsessive thoughts about the threat to life, health, safety from the outside;
• manifestations of pathological jealousy (the patient begins to suspect not only neighbors of vile intentions, but also close ones in treason, with the complete absence of reasons for such statements);
• distrust of everyone and everything that the patient sees, hears;
• aggression, attacks of unjustified anger, anxiety;
• sleep disturbances, appetite, numerous autonomic disorders - heart palpitations, changes in blood pressure, dizziness, weakness, sweating.

The disease itself can be very different: some do not clearly imagine what they are threatened with, what is behind it, how it can end, while others are well aware of the start date of the “surveillance”, assess the damage and harm that the “enemies” did to them, and this indicates a high level of systematization of delirium.

It should be noted that symptoms in all cases increase gradually. At first, there can be only one enemy (for example, a husband or neighbor), it is his patient who will suspect everything and blame him, but then the circle of “suspects” will inevitably begin to expand - friends, neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers will be drawn into him and fictional images. Gradually, a person begins to live in a dangerous world for him., his brain, his thinking adapt to constant threats, and the patient begins to very clearly state the circumstances of the assassination attempts on him, reproducing some details with incredible scrupulousness and accuracy.

Last of all, there is a change in the personality of a person. Previously, a sincere and kind person can become constantly tense, aggressive, dangerous, alert. The actions that he can perform after the collapse of his own personality are rather difficult to predict, but one thing is known for sure - they had never before been characteristic of him.

It is not difficult to find out the signs of such a mental illness, but all attempts to help the patient will not succeed, as well as attempts to convince him. But because doctors are already recommending at the first manifestations of something like a delirium of persecution, immediately lead a person to a psychiatrist. Procrastination, waiting until “maybe everything goes away” are dangerous - the disease progresses rapidly and it will become much more difficult to cure a person over time.

Considering that the disease can be isolated or be a concomitant symptom of another mental pathology, it is important to establish the diagnosis correctly and accurately. Only a qualified psychiatrist can do this. He will talk with the patient, talk with his relatives, friends, possibly even neighbors, to establish all the nuances of behavioral reactions and the depth of the violation.

The family history is of great importance - cases of mental illness in parents, close relatives, cases of alcoholism in the family, schizophrenia, paranoid disorders. No less important are the patient's own bad habits, especially his personality before the change. Using special tests and an anxiety scale, they evaluate the level of fears, excitement, especially emotional experiences, the state of memory, attention, logic, and thought processes.

Serious potent medicines are used in the treatment of the delusional state of persecution, without them, a person simply can not get rid of the manifestations of constant tension and fear. But even with adequate treatment, not a single highly qualified specialist will guarantee that a relapse will not occur. Psychotherapeutic methods that are used to correct many mental conditions do not work in the case of persecution mania. - it is impossible to change the settings of a sick person, you cannot convince him, to prove that the world around is safe.

If the doctor tries to do this, he will immediately replenish the friendly and numerous ranks of the “enemies”, and trust is required to achieve the effect. Therefore, all hope lies in the first stage on typical and atypical antipsychotics (antipsychotic drugs).

If there are signs of aggression, imbalance, inadequacy of actions, it is recommended to undergo treatment in a psychiatric hospital, since a person can harm himself or his relatives at any time. In order to avoid the paradoxes of thinking against the background of the initiation of drug treatment, each case of delirium persecution is recommended to be treated in a hospital. Doctors switch to psychotherapy much later when they manage to stop the symptoms of anxiety, panic, fear, aggression. In the most severe cases, electroshock therapy is used.

Whatever it is that is about a husband, a wife, a neighbor or girlfriend, a relative, a child or an adult, the first and only thing you need to know is never, under any circumstances, try to laugh at the words of a sick person, speak with him sincerely , listen carefully, try not to disturb the person with clarifying questions.

Never try to convince him to prove that there is no prosecution, even if it is obvious. You will immediately become one of the ill-wishers who cannot be trusted. People with such a disease very quickly draw the conclusions they need.

On the persecution mania from a medical point of view, see below.