“Persecution mania” is one of the incorrect everyday names for the disorder, which is correctly called delusion of persecution (just as “delusions of grandeur” is also a delusion). This disorder is also called persecutory delusion. This thinking disorder is one of the fundamental signs of mental insanity, as well as one of the components of schizophrenia.
What is persecution mania?
Persecution mania
- this is the patient’s obsessive conviction that someone is stalking him, tormenting him, wanting to harm, kill, etc. The pursuers can be employees, colleagues, neighbors, secret organizations, aliens, fictional creatures, etc. Persecution mania was first described in 1852.
The disease is dangerous because it leads to rapid fatigue of the body, its wear and tear. After all, the patient can remain in this state constantly, his thoughts can be completely absorbed by the subject of persecution. He is constantly in tension, looking for ways to hide from his “pursuers.”
Often the disease is accompanied by the effects of anxiety and fear. Persecution mania causes the patient to be suspicious, distrustful, withdrawn, and aggressive. He can change from one public transport to another, jump out of it at full speed, run out of the cabin a second before the doors close, and this can be dangerous both for him and for those around him. Patients with persecution mania are not able to perceive themselves critically.
People suffering from persecution delusions engage in queralism - constantly writing complaints to various authorities.
Also, due to their distrust, patients are reluctant to talk about their experiences to others, including psychiatrists.
Stages of development and immersion in your fictional world
Persecution mania develops gradually in three stages, each of which has its own symptoms and signs:
- The first stage is characterized by the presence of primary signs of the development of paranoia. Closedness, excessive worry, and increased levels of anxiety begin to appear.
- In the second stage, symptoms increase. Behavior becomes more restless, the person is unable to interact with others and adapt to society. Fear becomes a constant companion, and open complaints against others begin.
- At the third stage , uncontrollable signs of aggression begin and severe depression develops. A special category of patients may attempt suicide due to fears and depression. Behavior becomes suspicious and wary. There is a lack of trust in the people around you. There may be a misinterpretation of current events. The patient does unusual things that are completely inconsistent with everyday habits. It should be especially emphasized that all the thoughts of an individual are concentrated on his exceptional personality and the particularity of his significance for society. Also characteristic is the desire for self-isolation, aimed at limiting the influence of the environment.
At the initial stage of development, persecution mania looks quite harmless, but already during this period the disorder prevents a person from living a full life. Living in constant fear and tension, the patient provokes the development of other mental and somatic diseases. It is especially difficult for relatives and other people who surround such a person.
Factors provoking the occurrence of the disease
Mania of persecution manifests itself in various paranoid diseases: paranoid schizophrenia, other psychoses with paranoid syndrome, alcohol poisoning (there is the so-called “alcoholic paranoid” - a severe and dangerous form of alcohol poisoning), drug poisoning, brain damage, delusional disorder.
Indeed, many chronic alcoholics are convinced that they are being watched by “aliens”; they can “inflate” readings on electricity, gas, and water meters - this is how patients try to explain or justify their reluctance (or inability) to pay for utilities. Alcoholics often launch into lengthy discussions about how “aliens” are watching all of humanity, that they “gave” people all the achievements of science and technology, that they control political processes. TV channels like REN-TV help them “stir up” their sick imagination, passion for which in itself can lead to the appearance of persecution mania (and other mental disorders).
There are factors that provoke the occurrence of persecution mania. This is a person’s increased sensitivity, a tendency to “sacrifice” behavior, an external locus of control (that is, a person’s tendency to explain the results of his actions exclusively by external factors). Religious people are also susceptible to the formation of persecution mania, believing that their whole life and the whole world is controlled by someone “from above” who “sees everything and knows everything”; people who believe in fate, who are interested in astrology and magic. People with “learned helplessness” constantly complain about their powerlessness, while they also tend to see the reason for their failures in external circumstances. People who take a defensive psychological position are also susceptible to developing mania of persecution; They are distinguished by a constant readiness for self-defense and a quick temper at the slightest threat to their own personality: even a minor offense causes a surge of emotions in them. Such people can be “offended” by everything around them, which can develop into a persecution mania.
Some researchers believe that the formation of persecution mania is influenced by a certain type of structure of the central nervous system. Parental upbringing and psychological trauma suffered in childhood also have a certain influence.
There is also a hypothesis that persecution mania is a type of brain dysfunction. This was first pointed out by Pavlov, who suggested that in the patient’s brain there is a pathological focus of excitation that disrupts the activity of the system of conditioned reflexes, which leads to the onset of the disease.
Causes of stalking phobia
It is impossible to name the exact reasons for the fear of persecution. A number of the following conditions can serve as a catalyst:
- traumatic brain injuries;
- a history of other mental disorders;
- brain disease;
- unfavorable psychological situation in the family, at work, in personal affairs;
- hereditary factor;
- age-related changes in the brain;
- neurological disorders;
- chronic diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease);
- long-term use of certain medications (corticosteroids);
- childhood psychological trauma;
- isolation from society;
- stress;
- CNS diseases.
Paranoia of persecution
In addition to the main list, there are also risk groups that are more likely than others to develop and develop the disease:
- genetically predisposed individuals;
- people dependent on alcohol and drugs;
- elderly people;
- men from twenty years of age;
- people prone to depression or other mental disorders.
Fear of persecution can be reflected in mistrust, developing into mania or even paranoia. In most cases, such a phobia is accompanied by a serious mental illness, often schizophrenia.
How does a person develop persecution mania?
Any of us perceives reality not directly, but after “passing” it through our own consciousness. When any pathology occurs, the reflection of reality by consciousness is disrupted, which is why certain mental disorders arise. Persecutory mania is one such disorder that communicates obsessive thoughts to the brain.
Under the influence of delusional thoughts, a person suffering from persecution mania may, for example, refuse food, believing that it has been poisoned by someone. Such people think that dangers await them around every corner, so they are afraid to cross the road (after all, they may be run over), generally walk down the street alone (they may be killed, maimed, kidnapped, etc.), they may be afraid to stay alone in the room.
The patient may show signs of jealousy, mistrust, aggression, and anxiety.
Delusional thoughts can be clearly structured. For example, the patient may remember the exact date of the beginning of the “persecution”, the results of the harmful activities of the “enemies”. He may only be afraid of certain aspects of life, and from time to time they may change (for example, at first he was only afraid to go outside, but behaved normally at home, and then vice versa - he feels safe only on the street, among people).
In the future, a person's personality may change. He may become taciturn and reluctant to answer questions about his behavior. He becomes tense, wary, and shows more and more aggression. The patient may begin to do things that were previously unusual for him.
Manifestations
It seems to a person that he is being watched, monitored through social networks.
The employee begins to be haunted by the thought of dismissal. He considers himself a bad employee. Thinks that his every action is carefully controlled by his boss or colleagues. It seems that someone wants to set him up in order to get his position.
Fear is especially pronounced in adolescents due to excessive control on the part of parents.
Fear may arise due to gambling addiction. The heroes of the games can become a reality for the patient.
How to behave correctly with a patient
You need to understand that the patient is insane during the course of his illness. You should not convince him otherwise, this can only cause another wave of aggression. The patient can list as his enemies anyone who tries to convince him. The only correct decision in this situation is to seek help from a psychiatrist.
You can try to play along with the patient and create conditions for him where he will feel safe. After this, you can proceed to treatment.
As is the case with other mental illnesses, with persecutory delusions the patient may try to harm both himself and others - especially others whom he considers enemies and persecutors. Therefore, it is recommended to remove all piercing, cutting and heavy objects from the patient’s field of vision.
Consequences
Persecution mania is dangerous due to constant mental stress. The patient cannot fully relax, does not feel comfortable either in public places or alone with himself. All the time he is in the grip of anxious moods. Attempts to convince the unfortunate person that he is safe are met with aggression and rejection.
Sometimes mania is accompanied by outbursts of unreasonable jealousy. The patient is inclined to suspect his significant other of cheating.
In advanced forms of the disease, outbursts of aggression occur. How excessive suspicion can result:
- Fight. Those suffering from schizophrenia and manic episodes attack those who pose a threat to them.
- Causing damage to someone else's property.
- By suicide. When a person sees others as a source of evil, it is unbearably difficult for him to live with it. Increasing anxiety can lead to a suicide attempt.
Treatment of pathology in a hospital
In order to begin to treat persecutory mania, it is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis.
The fact that a doctor can make a mistake here is evidenced by the biography of Ernest Hemingway, the famous American writer. Towards the end of his life, he began to show signs of persecution mania: he claimed that CIA agents were watching him, and was very worried about this. He was admitted to a closed hospital and treated like crazy. In the end, he managed to get a gun and shoot himself. After some time, CIA officers admitted that they had indeed been spying on Hemingway, and he was admitted to a mental hospital on their orders.
Treatment of persecution mania occurs in a hospital setting. For this, tranquilizers, psychotropic drugs, and sedatives are used. Psychotherapy is also used - cognitive-behavioral, family; All family members participate in family therapy.
In especially severe cases, electric shock is used. In this case, the patient may pose a danger - both to himself and to others. Therefore, he is kept in special conditions. The disease is prone to relapse.
For successful treatment of persecutory mania, it is also important to teach the patient to distinguish the real world from the imaginary one. You shouldn’t immediately convince the patient, but you can try some kind of educational move first: tell him about the structure of the human brain, about the processes of thinking, about how information from reality is transformed into thinking. Then you can gradually lead the patient to the idea that there are no objective grounds for his fears, since there are no signs of persecution in the surrounding reality.
Persecution mania is a disease that was also characteristic of outstanding personalities. One of the most famous “owners” of this disease was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the famous philosopher and writer. He had been suffering from paranoia, which expressed itself in persecution mania, for a long time. After his scandalous book “Emil, or on education” was published in the 1760s, which caused a conflict with the state and church, the symptoms of his illness only intensified. He saw secret conspiracies against himself everywhere, so he began to live the life of a wanderer, never stopping anywhere for long. He believed that all his friends and acquaintances were against him. One day, in a castle where he was staying, a servant died, and Rousseau demanded that he be opened - he believed that those around him wanted to accuse him of poisoning the servant. It is curious that the mentioned book contains real revolutionary ideas in terms of raising a child: Rousseau proposed replacing constant punishment with affection and encouragement. In this he was far ahead of his time, because no one understood his ideas in those years.
Edgar Allan Poe also suffered from persecution mania. In general, the life of this writer was full of all sorts of oddities. Edgar Allan Poe was afraid of loneliness and darkness. It constantly seemed to him that some mysterious forces were pursuing him in the darkness. Edgar Poe was very afraid of dying alone. Actually, this is what happened - the writer died completely alone.
Sergei Yesenin also believed that behind his back everyone was only whispering about him and plotting something against him. Apparently, some of his famous antics were intended to scare off the “persecutors.” So, he could insult the public for good measure and without any particular reason.
In general, mental disorders of great people are a special topic. Some researchers believe that all outstanding personalities were “not entirely normal”; this is where the secret of their genius supposedly lies. This statement is very controversial (usually people do not take into account those outstanding individuals who did not suffer from anything like this). However, delusions of persecution, of course, were an indispensable companion of many insane dictatorial regimes - along with delusions of grandeur. One of the pillars of any totalitarian dictatorship is the conviction of society that there are a lot of “enemies” around who are trying to undermine the country’s economy, political sovereignty and generally wipe out the country’s population (or conquer it). “Enemies” must necessarily be present within the country; the government declares them to be oppositionists, gays, some nationalities, and people of intellectual work. An atmosphere of general tension, mistrust and aggression is building up in the country. The mania of persecution is gripping millions of ordinary people. Here it goes hand in hand with delusions of grandeur: the people are urged to be proud of their origins, their country, their rulers, etc. It is characteristic that in the event of the fall of a dictatorial regime, it is quite difficult to dispel the myth of “enemies” - the confused people cannot realize that no one wants to conquer it, that you can live in peace, and the only enemy of the country was the government. This can be taken advantage of by new political groups that are quite capable of adapting mass insanity to satisfy personal ambitions.
Symptoms and diagnosis
If you discover in your behavior or the behavior of someone you know symptoms consistent with signs of persecution mania or paranoia, do not sit idly by. First of all, go see a psychotherapist.
Diagnosing diseases of this type is not an easy process. Due to the specifics of the disease and the lack of appropriate technologies, doctors will identify a number of alarming symptoms that are considered to be heralds of the disease.
Signs of phobophobia
Symptoms of fear of persecution include:
- Due to obsessive thoughts about a constant threat, enemies, secret surveillance, it is extremely difficult for a person to be surrounded by people. The consequence is poor social adjustment;
- constant panic attacks, accompanied by a state of excitement that turns into anxiety;
- the stronger the disease gains momentum, the more often a person identifies new “enemies” in his environment;
- constant search for what was said to oneself, up to eavesdropping on the conversations of ordinary passers-by, concentration on small details, constant search for “conspiracies” and “conspirators”;
- Due to changes in character, it is almost impossible to be around a person. Such a patient does not give rest to either loved ones or relatives, projecting his illness onto them;
- law enforcement agencies and government agencies suffer, because such a person can constantly write various complaints there, often contradicting each other; it is possible that a person with such a mania will try to isolate himself from society, “withdrawn” in his own world, and his distrust and suspicion of others will worsen;
- possible development of insomnia. A person will try with all his might to avoid sleep, which will lead to a worsening of the condition and more serious health problems in general.
To help make an accurate diagnosis, doctors may need to:
- Carefully examine all the symptoms noticed in the patient;
- Ask relatives and friends for more accurate information about the patient’s symptoms and behavior;
- Identify the presence of bad habits;
- Familiarize yourself with the patient’s medical record, find out whether the person had problems with blood vessels or other brain diseases;
- Conduct a test/survey analysis of the patient for other mental illnesses/deviations;
- Conduct a hardware study to confirm vascular pathology.
