About ParanoidThoughts.com
Until very recently psychiatry regarded paranoia solely as a symptom of severe mental illness. Indeed, paranoid beliefs were seen as "empty speech acts" that should be ignored or discouraged. But the latest research has shown that this view of paranoia is mistaken. Paranoia encompasses a broad spectrum of experiences, varying in intensity from the comparatively mild to the relatively severe. And it is very common among the general population. This is not surprising: more or less on a daily basis, we all have to decide whether to trust or mistrust other people, and it's easy to get this judgement wrong.
What is the aim of this web site?
This website puts the experience of paranoia centre stage. It was set up in 2006 to mark the publication of the first self-help book on the topic, Overcoming Paranoid and Suspicious Thoughts. The book shows readers how they can use techniques based on the talking therapy CBT to cope with their paranoia (these techniques have been shown to be highly effective in reducing paranoia).
About the authors
Daniel Freeman and Philippa Garety are clinical psychologists at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust who have been studying and treating paranoia for many years. Their work has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, a charity supporting research to improve human and animal health.
Jason Freeman is a writer and editor who has helped make the latest scientific insights into paranoia accessible for the general public.
More about the authors.
How often is the web site updated?
The website was substantially updated in 2008 upon the publication of Paranoia: The 21st Century Fear?, which offers a clear and entertaining introduction to the new science of suspiciousness.
Photographs illustrating paranoia
These images capture the experience of paranoia. If you wish to reproduce the photographs page please contact paranoidthoughts@iop.kcl.ac.uk.