GOOD and EVIL in CORPORATE LIFE ... - JO LEE Magazine

jo lee
« ALTER EGO
By Dr. Saul Levine
PERPLEXING
PARANOIA
How many times have you heard the expression,
"He's {she's} paranoid", or perhaps you have
even said something similar about yourself, as
in, "I'm paranoid about my parents {wife, lover, friend}
finding out!"
Well, if that sounds like something you have heard or said,
the speaker may have meant 'worried', 'preoccupied', or
'suspicious', or some other similar meaning, but you can
be certain that they did not mean "paranoid!"
For a word {paranoid} that seems nowadays to be used so
frequently in everyday discourse, it is remarkable that so
few people know what it really means.
For the record - paranoid {noun} and paranoid {adjective},
from the Greek, "Beyond the mind" are medical/psychiatric
terms referring to a state or disorder
{paranoia} in which an individual {paranoid} is convinced
{or extremely fearful} - in spite of evidence to the
contrary - that someone {a malevolent individual, a
group, cabal, conspiracy} is out to 'get' him or her. {This
is actually the definition of a paranoid 'delusion'.} By 'get'
we of course mean, that the imagined perpetrators will
inflict on the individual grievous harm {physical or psychological
hurt, damage, maim, or even death} to the
intended victim. Again, this is in spite of no actual basis
of a nefarious plot or scheme.
Of course, anyone who perceives the existence of a dangerous,
evil, seditious enemy lurking out there, will at
least experience severe anxiety or panic, and will likely
take strong {even extreme} defensive measures, or to use
a current Iraq-sponsored phrase, 'preemptive offensive
measures!' {i.e. do unto others before they do unto you!}.
A paranoid ideational state can exist, 'unto itself', that is,
it can reside as a circumscribed, unwavering, intense
belief in an individual without any evidence of an existing
mental disorder. Despite seeming normal, this individual
can harbor immutable delusions of potential harm
being directed at him/her.
More often, however, paranoia is an integral part of a
serious mental disorder, like a psychosis {as a type of
schizophrenia}, a pathological personality disorder, a
substance abuse disorder {cocaine, amphetamine},
dementia, and a few other serious psychological/psychiatric
diagnosis and disorders. It can be successfully
treated, most often with appropriate medication.
As with so many other intense personalities, behavior
problems, or even psychiatric symptoms, however, there
are degrees of severity, so that some individuals who
More often, however, paranoia is an integral
part of a serious mental disorder.
CONTENTS PAGE JO LEE MAGAZINE - 21