Synopses & Reviews
In this insightful book, the author vividly takes the reader inside the minds of people who are paranoid: experiencing delusions of persecution ranging from thinking others are "out to get" them to falsely believing they have physical illness. Kantor also explains to us other facets of the Paranoid Personality, including suspiciousness, hypersensitivity, extreme vigilance, simmering anger, and a tendency to blame others for and absolve oneself of almost everything. How does such paranoia affect one's life? Whether one is a paranoiac wanting to recover from the emotional disorder, or a person looking for the best way to deal with a paranoid husband, wife, friend, boss, or acquaintance, this book offers understanding and guidance. As Kantor explains, the term "paranoid" should not be used as a hurtful epithet. "Paranoid individuals are no more or less evil than persons with any other emotional disorder, or for that matter, persons with a physical disorder. Paranoia is a disorder of the mind, not a flaw of character," says Kantor. Paranoid individuals are not invariably social misfits. They are found in all walks of life and in all professions, suffering from this disorder that distorts behavior and affects those with whom they come in contact, often in devastating ways. Politicians who write attack ads, spouses who beat or kill their partners, people in road or supermarket rage incidents are all among the possibly paranoid, as are students who perpetrate violence at their schools and fired employees who wreak violence at their former workplaces. Recognizing and treating paranoid behaviors can prevent or reduce antisocial activity and violence against individuals and society.
Review
Takes the reader inside the minds of people who are paranoid-experiencing delusions of persecution ranging from thinking others are out to get them to falsely believing they have physical illnesses. - Foreword
Review
[T]his book is an important and useful work. It may be particularly beneficial to laypersons seeking to understand paranoid behavior and learn more about potential causes and treatments. It will also be helpful for clinicians who are relatively new to working with paranoid individuals….[t]his book is a valuable guide to several aspects of paranoia, and will likely be helpful to many clinicians sufferers, and family members. - The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Review
^IUnderstanding Paranoia^R is a collection of narrative accounts and therapeutic indications for paranoia. It is a good introduction for people who want information about this disease. It contains excellent descriptions and categorizations of what delusions generally are. It is a profitable psychological and clinical essay for therapists and paranoids themselves. - Metapsychology
Review
"Kantor assimilates existing texts and states his own views both firmly and without pretension, an excellent model for teaching and therapy….Nonprofessional readers will gain an understanding of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral diagnosis and treatment, along with clarification of various syndromes that mimic or disguise paranoia. Patients, family members, co-workers, and friends will benefit from practical advice illustrated with well-chosen examples. A unique treatment; highly recommended for all psychology collections and larger general libraries." - Library Journal, Starred Review
Review
As a psychological disorder, paranoia is oddly dualistic: psychiatrists and psychologists rely on technical definitions for the mental malady and laypeople have a socially agreed on sense of it. Readers will see both sides well represented here….This volume will be most useful for professionals, though faculty and students will appreciate the rich examples. Recommended. Professionals, general readers, and comprehensive academic collections. - Choice
Synopsis
In this insightful book, the author vividly takes the reader inside the minds of people who are paranoid: experiencing delusions of persecution ranging from thinking others are out to get them to falsely believing they have physical illness. Kantor also explains to us other facets of the Paranoid Personality, including suspiciousness, hypersensitivity, extreme vigilance, simmering anger, and a tendency to blame others for and absolve oneself of almost everything. How does such paranoia affect one's life? Whether one is a paranoiac wanting to recover from the emotional disorder, or a person looking for the best way to deal with a paranoid husband, wife, friend, boss, or acquaintance, this book offers understanding and guidance. As Kantor explains, the term paranoid should not be used as a hurtful epithet. Paranoid individuals are no more or less evil than persons with any other emotional disorder, or for that matter, persons with a physical disorder. Paranoia is a disorder of the mind, not a flaw of character, says Kantor.
Paranoid individuals are not invariably social misfits. They are found in all walks of life and in all professions, suffering from this disorder that distorts behavior and affects those with whom they come in contact, often in devastating ways. Politicians who write attack ads, spouses who beat or kill their partners, people in road or supermarket rage incidents are all among the possibly paranoid, as are students who perpetrate violence at their schools and fired employees who wreak violence at their former workplaces. Recognizing and treating paranoid behaviors can prevent or reduce antisocial activity and violence against individuals and society.
Synopsis
The only guide currently available on paranoia, this work offers a method for understanding, coping with, and treating this widespread and neglected condition, which can result in serious social consequences from isolation to violence in schools and the workplace.
About the Author
MARTIN KANTOR is a psychiatrist who has been in private practice in Boston and New York City. He served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical School and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Kantor is the author of 12 previous books, including Distancing: Avoidant Personality Disorder, Revised and Expanded (Praeger, 2003), Passive Aggression: A Guide for the Therapist, the Patient, and the Victim (Praeger, 2002), Treating Emotional Disorders in Gay Men (Praeger, 1999), and Homophobia (Praeger, 1998).
Table of Contents
Introduction
Description
Some Prominent Characteristics of Paranoid Individuals
Delusional Disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder
The Adverse Ways Paranoid Individuals Affect Others
Covert (Hidden) and Missed Paranoia
The Gray Area and the Paranoia of Everyday Life
Interpersonal-Social Aspects of Paranoia/Paranoid Violence
Forensic Issues
Cause
The Roles Society and the Family Play in Causing Paranoia
Psychodynamic Causes
Cognitive-Behavioral Causality
Therapy
Psychodynamic/Interpersonal Approaches
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Affirmative Psychotherapy
Pharmacotherapy
Therapeutic Cautions, Caveats, and Errors
Prognosis
Self-Help
Ways Caretakers Can Deal Effectively with the Paranoid Individuals in their Lives
Things to Avoid Doing with Paranoid Individuals
Coping with One's Own Paranoia