Paranoia in the elderly and what you need to know

Paranoia in the elderly is a common mental disorder. The patient has distorted and inappropriate perceptions. The disease needs to be detected and treated early with appropriate methods to prevent the risks that it can cause.

What is paranoia?

1. Paranoia in the elderly

Paranoia is a mental disorder. The patient has false ideas and does not match reality. These ideas are completely self-generated by the patient. However, for the patient they are correct and uncritical.

Unfortunately, paranoia in the elderly is a fairly common condition, especially in people 60 years of age and older. It is estimated that up to 23% of the elderly suffer from problems related to mental disorders, including delusions.

When delusions in the elderly occur, patients will often respond differently to the delusions they experience. At times, these responses can be harmful to themselves or to those around them. Therefore, it is necessary to detect paranoia in the elderly early to have early and appropriate treatment.

2. Causes of paranoia in the elderly

To date, the cause of paranoia in the elderly is not completely known. But some of the following factors are thought to cause paranoia in the elderly:

• Heredity: Heredity is one of the factors that are often mentioned when talking about the causes of paranoia in the elderly. If a parent or sibling has a mental illness (cognitive disorder, schizophrenia, etc.)
• Psychiatric abnormalities: Paranoia is thought to occur after prolonged periods of anxiety or phobia. Or it is also common in patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia, acute psychosis, depression,. These phenomena are all possible causes of paranoid disease in humans. old.
• Nervous system injuries: The nervous system can be damaged due to various causes such as brain tumors, stroke,. These structural lesions lead to abnormalities in the brain's functional activity. , especially in areas of the brain that control perception and thinking. Structural damage to the nervous system is thought to be a possible cause of paranoia in the elderly.
• Aging with age: Aging with age causes diseases such as Alzheimer's, senile dementia,. These conditions progress and gradually destroy the ability to perceive, think and write memory in the elderly. Thus, making them a cause for promoting paranoia in the elderly.
• Drugs and poisons: Certain drugs and toxins can have adverse effects on the nervous system, disrupting nerve activity, and triggering delusions. Groups of drugs and toxins that can cause paranoia when used include alcohol, drugs, tranquilizers,.

3. How does paranoia in the elderly manifest?

Anxiety and stress are often the first symptoms of paranoia in the elderly. However, these early symptoms often go unnoticed.

When it lasts for a long time, excessive worries and stress will make the patient obsess, create illusions, hallucinations or infer the problem in the direction of their own thinking. That causes delusions. As a result, the patient has limited contact with others, loss of appetite, fear, unusual actions, etc.

Depending on the characteristics of the delusions that the patient experiences, people divide delusions into 5 different types including:

• Victim delusions: This is the most common form of delusions. The patient feels that someone is watching him, stealing his things, being poisoned or being the target of a conspiracy,.

Delusion of victimization is one of the forms of delusional disorder in the elderly.

• Delusion of being loved: People with this delusion believe that someone is in love with them. These people may not dare to express their feelings to them, or are trying to show it through methods such as talking, calling, etc.
• Delusions of self-esteem: This type of delusion manifests itself in the patient's overestimation of himself. Patients think they are very talented, can do great jobs, invent new languages ​​or communicate with aliens.
• Jealousy delusions: Occurs with elderly people whose spouses are still alive. They think that their partner is having an outside relationship, always looking for ways to prove this relationship is real,.
• Somatic delusions: Delusions occur over one part of the body. The patient feels that the arm or leg is not his own, the body has a deformity, has an unusual smell, .

4. Is paranoia in the elderly dangerous?

Paranoia in the elderly is a serious psychiatric problem. Patients always believe that what they perceive through delusion is correct and cannot be judged. So they often act on these delusions.

Acting on paranoia is really dangerous. It not only upsets the lives of the patient and his family, but can even put the patient in troublesome situations by acting against the norms of society.

More seriously, the patient's response to paranoid content can harm the patient himself or those around him. This is a common consequence of being harmed by the paranoid body.

In addition, paranoid disease in the elderly, if not intervened and progressed for a long time, will easily lead to depression. Statistics show that about 50% of cases of delusional disorder in the elderly will be depressed 3-6 months later.

5. Treatment of paranoia in the elderly

5.1. Psychotherapy for the treatment of paranoia in the elderly

Psychotherapy is an important part of the treatment of paranoia in the elderly. However, its implementation is often quite difficult and requires persistence in the long run. This is because, for the patient, their delusions are correct, obvious, and uncritical.

Psychotherapy in the treatment of paranoia in the elderly includes two main contents, including:

• Individual psychotherapy: Supporting the patient to recognize thoughts that have been distorted by delusions.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: Helps patients build correct thought and behavior patterns to avoid leading to delusions.

5.2. Treatment of paranoia in the elderly with drugs

Besides psychotherapy, using drugs will help patients better control their paranoia. About 50% of patients treated for delusional disorder with medication experience significant improvement in symptoms.

The drugs used in the treatment of delusional disorder in the elderly today are mainly antipsychotics. These include conventional antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics.

• Conventional antipsychotics: These are first generation antipsychotic drugs, acting on the mechanism of blocking dopamine receptors in the brain. This group of drugs includes typical representatives such as chlorpromazine, haloperidol, perphenazine,.
• Atypical antipsychotics: Also act by inhibiting dopamine and serotonin in the brain. But this group of drugs is increasingly popular because it causes fewer unwanted effects than the older generation. Commonly used representatives can include clozapine, paliperidone, risperidone, olanzapine,.

Antipsychotics can be used to treat delusions in the elderly

6. Things to keep in mind when taking care of the elderly with paranoia

Caring for a patient with delusional disorder in the elderly is not an easy task. Therefore, caregivers should keep a few things in mind to make the care process more effective:

• Caregivers need to be patient and meticulous. Try to follow the patient's behavior and state to notice even the smallest changes.
• Do not try to explain to the patient that they are wrong. Instead, understand and share with them.
• Caregivers should try to observe the patient to find out what is causing them to be worried, afraid, .
• If possible, keep a log of care. This will be a valuable document to support doctors in assessing the progression of the disease and giving more accurate treatment.
• Seek medical advice or bring the patient to a medical facility when necessary.

It can be seen that paranoia in the elderly is a relatively common mental problem. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor for early detection and treatment with the right method to avoid potentially dangerous consequences.