Persecution Mania » What is it, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

 Persecution Mania

What is persecution rage?

Persecution mania is also known as the delusion of persecution. Paranoia (unfounded thoughts that others are out to harm us) exists on a spectrum and affects us all to varying degrees. It is not surprising that we are sometimes distrustful, since it is difficult to realize what the real intentions of those around us are. In the case of some people, however, this mistrust ends up dominating their lives and consuming all their energy. In addition, it is a red flag that he is most likely suffering from a mental disorder that needs to be treated. This phenomenon is known as the rage of persecution by the general public, but the correct terminology is delusion of persecution.

Mania or delirium?

From a psychiatric point of view, mania is a state of extremely high intensity and abnormal levels of energy, affectivity and stimulation. Mania is often seen as the opposite of depression. Especially as it occurs in bipolar disorder, where periods of mania alternate with periods of depression. But this state of activation is not necessarily euphoric, it can also be irritable, going as far as violence. Symptoms of mania include running out of ideas (so many ideas that they cannot be expressed clearly and coherently), increased energy with decreased need and desire to sleep, and hyperactivity.
But if we ask the general public what mania means, the answers will probably be very far from this description. In the explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language, the first definition of mania is "furious madness". Usually, the term is used to describe someone's bizarre preoccupation, obsession, or behavioral quirks. The term maniac is also used in a pejorative sense in relation to people who have different mental illnesses or who display behavior that deviates from the norms of the society in which they live, without however clearly referring to a clinical entity.

How is that right?

And in the case the mania of persecution, the term anger is used improperly.

The correct medical term is the delusion of persecution.

Delusion is a fixed, false idea that is not shared by others. So it is obvious that people who are convinced that they are being followed by security or that their neighbors are out to kill them are suffering from delusion, not mania.

What is delusion of persecution?

Delusion of persecution is the mistaken belief that other people are intentionally trying to harm us. This is the most severe form of paranoia. Like I said, paranoia exists on a spectrum, and studies shows that paranoid ideas are found in many people without any psychiatric diagnosis, including children. What differentiates delusions of persecution from simple paranoid thoughts is that people with this delusion are extremely convinced of their beliefs, and this drastically affects their functioning.

Disorder or symptom?

Delusion of persecution is not a disorder in itself, but a central symptom of the psychotic experience. More than 70% of patients who suffer a first psychotic episode also have delusions of persecution. About half of people with delusions of persecution have lower levels of psychological well-being than 98% of the population.
Most often the delusion of persecution is encountered in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and in severe depression, with psychotic episodes. In very rare cases, delusion of persecution can indicate a delusional disorder, which is a mental condition in which the affected person has delusions, but without having hallucinations, mood disorders, cognitive disorders or affective flattening.

Also, approximately 27% of people with dementia exhibit delusions of various forms during the course of the condition.

Delusion of persecution - examples

It may seem surprising, but even delusions have trends. Over the past century, the delusion of persecution has become defining for our age, according to an American study. After the 50s, it was four times more common than before, when religious or grandiose delusions, which it dethroned, were more common. The shift in this distribution of delusion types suggests that society in recent decades has favored this type of delusion over others.

The content of delusion, that is, the object of fear and worry, reflects contemporary culture. In the early 20th century, it was centered on syphilis, during World War II, it was linked to the Germans, during the Cold War, to the Communists, and now it is most often connected to technology. Or, as one showed study from Slovenia, over the course of a century, demons, ghosts and witches have been replaced by radio waves, tv and computers, and Napoleons, gods and the church, by secret agents, organizations or political leaders, and modern machines.

Specifically, here are some examples of persecutory delusions:

• the neighbors want to enter the house at night, steal my clothes from the closet;
• the police are following me because they want to torture me;
• security is following me and wants to kill me with phone radiation;
• the government is poisoning me with water;

The causes of persecution mania

It is not known exactly what causes persecution mania. It is now universally accepted that this symptom develops in the context of genetic and environmental risk. The identification of the genes that cause delirium has only just begun and no conclusive results have yet been reached.
As for environmental factors, it is clear that physical abuse and early trauma (abandonment, parental neglect); have a major contribution to this pathology.

Also, delusion of persecution is associated with:

• poverty;
• poor general health;
• low social support;
• stress;
• a low level of social connection;

Get rid of the anger of persecution!

Persecution mania has a strong impact on quality of life. When we think we are in imminent danger, it is very difficult to accept the company of other people. So delirium leads to social isolation, exacerbation of emotional stress and impairment of professional and personal life. Treatment can make a major improvement in the lives of those affected, who will feel liberated as the delirium subsides.

Treatment

Treatment varies depending on the underlying condition of the affected person. The most commonly used are antipsychotics, drugs that, as the name suggests, are used to treat psychosis. In other cases, antidepressants or mood stabilizers may be used.
Another 2014 study indicates that cognitive-behavioral therapy can have beneficial effects by reducing anxiety and rumination, worry and obsessive thoughts, which also decrease the intensity of delirium.

Treatment has notable beneficial effects, but in most cases it is not a question of curing the delirium, but only of keeping it under control.
The treatment of delusions of persecution poses problems because affected people may believe that they are being persecuted even by doctors or psychotherapists. This fact leads to lack of compliance or even total refusal to go to the consultation or follow the treatment. Sometimes hospitalization is needed to stabilize the patient, so that later a relationship of trust can be built between him and the doctor.

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