What causes paranoia?

Question

At night in particular I get terrible paranoia that my neighbours think I'm noisy and they will tell my landlord I smoke and I'm going to end up being evicted. I can't get a grip on it

Answer 1

The cause of paranoia are as follows;

I. The effects of drugs and alcohol like cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, LSD, amphetamines  and alcohol.

II. Lack of sleep due to fear and worries.

III. Physical illness.- Huntington's disese, parkinson disease, alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. hearing loss can also trigger paranoid thoughts in people.

IV. Anxiety and depression

V. Childhood experiences.

Answer 2

It is difficult to determine the cause or causes of paranoia. Paranoid people may suffer from an emotional and mental breakdown in certain thought processes. An incident in the past may have built up unconsciously into a serious underlying mental disturbance. Repressed feelings can also be a cause of paranoia, along with circumstances or projected feelings onto other people.

Answer 3

Being evicted is not at bad as you might think. Tell your landlord, get evicted and reduce your sensitivity to the fear. Then find a landlord who smokes. Maybe you can tell him that you already paid the rent and he won't remember.

Answer 4

you smoke (cannabis) are you really that noisy if so wouldnt they have said somthing already dont worry dude. and if so just say ok ill keep it down a bit. if there rude well then tell em were 2 go. whats the saying your home is your castle  

Answer 5

Ask yourself a few questions. 1. How many times have they been round to tell you to keep the noise down? 2. How many times have they been round and said "dont deny it, we can smell it, we are telling the landlord then the police"? I presume you meant you smoke "jamacian woodbines". Mind you nowadays i think people are more discusted with ordinary cigs than they are with bob hope.!! 3. How many warning letters have you had off ya landlord? If your answers are 1. None 2. None. 3. None. Then you obviously think like i do. I dont call it Paranoia. I call it being Aware, being Alert, being "on my toes". Know wot i mean? Paranoia can be Positive.

Answer 6

well if your stereo is on max and you got filthy ashtrays all over then your not paranoid ok

Whereas on the other hand if its very minor you are ok relax and get chilled out cos if it was not ok you would be loggin in from an internet cafe right now

Answer 7

they are after you, I do, I did and my face is buried in the ashtray!

Answer 8

The paranoia you describe is likely caused by habituating on the same pattern of thought again and again.  For instance, if you make pictures of the scenario you describe in your head, add sounds and add feelings, then it becomes pretty real, and this will produce a real reaction with real feel bad chemicals going through your brain.  The more you go over this bad scenario in your mind, the more feel bad chemicals you produce, and as you get used to it as an outcome, because you've rehearsed it so often, the more real and likely it seems.

I suggest two things:

1) The next time you start to feel paranoid, stop and analyse how you're making yourself feel and what you did to get there.  What pictures did you make, what smells did you imagine, etc?

2) Once you know what the triggers are, stop doing them.  Instead, create a scenario in your head where you're playing your stereo at a normal volume, there are no ashtrays and your neighbours like you.  Once you've run through this scenario in your head once, do it again.  And again.  And again, making it better each time.  I know you can do this, and you're good at it, because this is exactly what you've been doing to make yourself paranoid.

Once you've got the hang of rehearsing one good scenario like this, you can then apply it to other areas of your life, and I know you will, because it feels much better to feel good than it does to feel bad.