What are the characteristics of a paranoid psycotic?

Question

I have been on a group list lately and two people have privately emailed me that one of the members is a paranoid psycotic. I looked on the net and couldn't find much about it. The person in question is extremely abusive, seems to suspect conspiracies, and thinks one person is posting under multiple identities. Which the rest of us know is not true. He also gets names mixed up and calls jane, jill etc etc.

Answer 1

As defined in the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), paranoia is "a severe but relatively rare mental disorder characterized by the presence of systematized delusions, often of a persecutory character involving being followed, poisoned, or harmed by other means, in an otherwise intact personality." In other words, an individual who is apparently functional in other respects develops irrational, unfounded beliefs, usually about being harmed or harassed by others.

These beliefs usually center around a theme such as those mentioned above. The website Dictionary.com sums this up simply as an "extreme, irrational distrust of others."

Paranoia can be present as a psychotic feature in both the depressed and manic episodes of Bipolar Disorder. It is also the hallmark symptom found in the Paranoid type of Schizophrenia and the Persecutory type of Delusional Disorder. In addition to these, there is also a Paranoid Personality Disorder in which there is an extreme mistrust of other people without psychotic features.

So the answer is yes this person seems disturbed And paranoia can be a part of bipolar disorder, and it generally indicates Bipolar I disorder, as it is generally delusional paranoia and therefore psychotic.

A person may tend to "hear" people plotting against him through walls, when in fact no such conversations were taking place and nothing could possibly have been heard through the walls in question. This is a good example of delusional paranoia.

Answer 2

You couldn't find anything on it because it doesn't exist. The person was just using a general term, meaning that guy is paranoid and also psychotic. Actual disorders include paranoid schizophrenia, Antisocial Personality Disorder, etc., but of course you won't know what this person has because you don't know him in real life.

Answer 3

Clinically - you are one or the other.
There are anti-social personallity disorders that most likely are this persons problem - don't forget someone who is just plain seeking attention...

Answer 4

George W Bush. That about says it all.