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Schizophrenia Bulletin Mar 2023Large-scale epidemiological and genetic research have shown that psychotic experiences in the community are risk factors for adverse physical and psychiatric outcomes....
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS
Large-scale epidemiological and genetic research have shown that psychotic experiences in the community are risk factors for adverse physical and psychiatric outcomes. We investigated the associations of six types of specific psychotic experiences and negative symptoms assessed in mid-adolescence with well-established environmental and genetic risk factors for psychosis.
STUDY DESIGN
Fourteen polygenic risk scores (PRS) and nine geographical environmental variables from 3590 participants of the Twins Early Development Study (mean age 16) were associated with paranoia, hallucinations, cognitive disorganization, grandiosity, anhedonia, and negative symptoms scales. The predictors were modeled using LASSO regularization separately (Genetic and Environmental models) and jointly (GE model).
STUDY RESULTS
In joint GE models, we found significant genetic associations of negative symptoms with educational attainment PRS (β = -.07; 95% CI = -0.12 to -0.04); cognitive disorganization with neuroticism PRS (β = .05; 95% CI = 0.03-0.08); paranoia with MDD (β = .07; 95% CI = 0.04-0.1), BMI (β = .05; 95% CI = 0.02-0.08), and neuroticism PRS (β = .05; 95% CI = 0.02-0.08). From the environmental measures only family SES (β = -.07, 95% CI = -0.10 to -0.03) and regional education levels (β = -.06; 95% CI = -0.09 to -0.02) were associated with negative symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings advance understanding of how genetic propensity for psychiatric, cognitive, and anthropometric traits, as well as environmental factors, together play a role in creating vulnerability for specific psychotic experiences and negative symptoms in mid-adolescence.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Psychotic Disorders; Hallucinations; Paranoid Disorders; Delusions
PubMed: 36287640
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac149 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2020Paranoid beliefs have been conceptualized as a central psychological process linked to schizophrenia and many mental disorders. Research on paranoia has indicated that...
Paranoid beliefs have been conceptualized as a central psychological process linked to schizophrenia and many mental disorders. Research on paranoia has indicated that it is pivotal to consider not only levels but also dynamic aspects of incriminated related mechanisms over time. In the present study, we conceptualized paranoia as a system of interacting elements. To do so, we used temporal network analysis to unfold the temporal dynamics between core psychological paranoia-related mechanisms, such as self-esteem, sadness, feeling close to others, and experiential avoidance. Time-series data of 23 participants with high scores in paranoia and/or interpersonal sensitivity were collected experience sampling methodology (ESM). We applied a multilevel vector autoregressive (mlVAR) model approach and computed three distinct and complementary network models (i.e., contemporaneous, temporal, and between-subject) to disentangle associations between paranoia-related mechanisms in three different time frames. The contemporaneous model indicated that paranoia and sadness co-occurred within the same time frame, while sadness was associated with both low self-esteem and lack of closeness to others. The temporal model highlighted the importance of feeling close to others in predicting low paranoia levels in the next time frame. Finally, the between-subject model largely replicated an association found in both contemporaneous and temporal models. The current study reveals that the network approach offers a viable data-driven methodology for elucidating how paranoia-related mechanisms fluctuate over time and may determine its severity. Moreover, this novel perspective may open up new directions toward identifying potential targets for prevention and treatment of paranoia-related problems.
PubMed: 33041912
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.544565 -
Schizophrenia Research. Cognition Sep 2023The role of loneliness and social exclusion in the development of paranoia is largely unexplored. Negative affect may mediate potential associations between these...
BACKGROUND
The role of loneliness and social exclusion in the development of paranoia is largely unexplored. Negative affect may mediate potential associations between these factors. We investigated the temporal relationships of daily-life loneliness, felt social exclusion, negative affect, and paranoia across the psychosis continuum.
METHOD
Seventy-five participants, including 29 individuals with a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis, 20 first-degree relatives, and 26 controls used an Experience Sampling Method (ESM) app to capture the fluctuations in loneliness, feelings of social exclusion, paranoia, and negative affect across a 1-week period. Data were analysed with multilevel regression analyses.
RESULTS
In all groups, loneliness and feelings of social exclusion were independent predictors of paranoia over time (b = 0.05, < .001 and b = 0.04, < .05, respectively). Negative affect predicted paranoia (b = 0.17, < .001) and partially mediated the associations between loneliness, social exclusion, and paranoia. It also predicted loneliness (b = 0.15, < .0001), but not social exclusion (b = 0.04, = .21) over time. Paranoia predicted social exclusion over time, with more pronounced effects in controls (b = 0.43) than patients (b = 0.19; relatives: b = 0.17); but not loneliness (b = 0.08, = .16).
CONCLUSION
Paranoia and negative affect worsen in all groups following feelings of loneliness and social exclusion. This highlights the importance of a sense of belonging and being included for mental well-being. Loneliness, feeling socially excluded, and negative affect were independent predictors of paranoid thinking, suggesting they represent useful targets in its treatment.
PubMed: 37006705
DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2023.100282 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021Self-concepts are being intensively investigated in relation to paranoia, but research has shown some contradictory findings. Studying subclinical phenomena in a...
Self-concepts are being intensively investigated in relation to paranoia, but research has shown some contradictory findings. Studying subclinical phenomena in a non-clinical population should allow for a clearer understanding given that clinical confounding factors are avoided. We explored self-esteem, self-schemas, and implicit/explicit self-esteem discrepancies in three non-clinical groups with different psychopathological traits and a control group. Participants with elevated trait-paranoia ( = 41), depressive symptoms ( = 34), a combination of both traits ( = 32), and a control group ( = 71) were assessed on implicit and explicit self-esteem, self-schemas, depression, and paranoia. A dimensional approach with the total sample ( = 208) was also used to complement the information provided by the group approach. All groups presented similar and positive levels of implicit self-esteem. Trait-paranoia participants had similar levels of explicit self-esteem and self-schemas compared with the control group. However, the group with a combination of trait-paranoia and depressive symptoms showed the lowest levels of positive self-schemas and self-esteem. Furthermore, this group and the control group displayed implicit/explicit self-esteem discrepancies, although in opposite directions and with different implications. The dimensional approach revealed associations of trait-paranoia and depressive symptoms with poor explicit self-esteem and self-schemas but not with implicit self-esteem. Trait-paranoia participants showed different self-representations depending on whether depressive symptoms were present or not. The interaction between subclinical neurotic and psychotic traits entailed a detrimental self-representation that might increase the risk for psychopathology.
PubMed: 33790815
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.623755 -
Discrepancies of Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem as Predictors of Attributional Bias and Paranoia.Psychiatry Investigation Mar 2019The current study aimed to examine the association of implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem and their interaction with paranoia and attributional bias. The...
OBJECTIVE
The current study aimed to examine the association of implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem and their interaction with paranoia and attributional bias. The relationship of the size and the direction of the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem with paranoia and attributional bias was examined.
METHODS
A total of 128 female college students participated. We administered the Implicit Association Test to assess implicit self-esteem, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to measure explicit self-esteem. Paranoia Scale was used, and the attributional bias was assessed using the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire.
RESULTS
Results showed that explicit but not implicit self-esteem was negatively associated with paranoia, blame bias and hostility perception bias in ambiguous situations. The interaction of implicit and explicit self-esteem was associated with hostility perception in ambiguous situations. As for the discrepancy, the size of the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem was positively associated with hostility perception in ambiguous situations. Moreover, the direction of the discrepancy was specifically relevant: damaged self-esteem (high implicit and low explicit self-esteem) was associated with increased levels of paranoia, blame bias and hostility perception in ambiguous situations.
CONCLUSION
These findings provide new insights into the role of the implicit and explicit self-esteem in attributional bias and paranoia and point to damaged self-esteem as a possible vulnerability marker for illogical attribution of blaming others and perceiving hostility in social situations.
PubMed: 30836739
DOI: 10.30773/pi.2018.12.24 -
Journal of Behavior Therapy and... Mar 2017Loneliness is a common problem in patients with schizophrenia, and may be particularly linked with persecutory ideation. Nevertheless, its role as a potential risk... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Loneliness is a common problem in patients with schizophrenia, and may be particularly linked with persecutory ideation. Nevertheless, its role as a potential risk factor in the formation and maintenance of persecutory delusions is largely unexplored.
METHODS
Loneliness was experimentally manipulated using a false-feedback paradigm in a non-clinical sample (n = 60). Change in state paranoia was compared between the induction of increased loneliness, the induction of reduced loneliness and a control condition. Distinct associations between pre-post scores of loneliness and state paranoia were examined at three (medium/high/low) levels of proneness to psychosis across the experimental conditions.
RESULTS
Reduction of loneliness was associated with a significant reduction of present paranoid beliefs, while induction of loneliness lead to more pronounced paranoia on trend significance level. Moreover, proneness to psychosis significantly moderated the impact of loneliness on paranoia. Persons with a pronounced level of proneness to psychosis showed a stronger reduction of paranoid beliefs as a consequence of a decrease in loneliness, than less prone individuals.
LIMITATIONS
A limitation is the small size of our sample, which may have limited the power to detect significant within-group changes in state paranoia in the high-loneliness condition and changes in loneliness in the low-loneliness condition.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings support the feasibility of the experimental design to manipulate loneliness and suggest that loneliness could be a cause of paranoia. However, the findings need to be confirmed in high risk samples to draw conclusions about the role of loneliness in the genesis of clinically relevant levels of paranoia and derive implications for cognitive behaviour therapy.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; Loneliness; Male; Middle Aged; Paranoid Disorders; Young Adult
PubMed: 27362838
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.06.005 -
ELife May 2020Paranoia is the belief that harm is intended by others. It may arise from selective pressures to infer and avoid social threats, particularly in ambiguous or changing...
Paranoia is the belief that harm is intended by others. It may arise from selective pressures to infer and avoid social threats, particularly in ambiguous or changing circumstances. We propose that uncertainty may be sufficient to elicit learning differences in paranoid individuals, without social threat. We used reversal learning behavior and computational modeling to estimate belief updating across individuals with and without mental illness, online participants, and rats chronically exposed to methamphetamine, an elicitor of paranoia in humans. Paranoia is associated with a stronger prior on volatility, accompanied by elevated sensitivity to perceived changes in the task environment. Methamphetamine exposure in rats recapitulates this impaired uncertainty-driven belief updating and rigid anticipation of a volatile environment. Our work provides evidence of fundamental, domain-general learning differences in paranoid individuals. This paradigm enables further assessment of the interplay between uncertainty and belief-updating across individuals and species.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Case-Control Studies; Cluster Analysis; Female; Humans; Male; Methamphetamine; Models, Psychological; Paranoid Disorders; Rats, Long-Evans; Reversal Learning; Uncertainty
PubMed: 32452769
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.56345 -
European Review For Medical and... Dec 2022The aim of this paper is to review the use of nasal stimulants in interpersonal communication. The literature survey was performed from PubMed, ProQuest Central database... (Review)
Review
The aim of this paper is to review the use of nasal stimulants in interpersonal communication. The literature survey was performed from PubMed, ProQuest Central database of Anadolu University, and Google Scholar. Throughout history, various materials have been used as nasal stimulants to communicate and socialize intensively. Snuff is tobacco inhaled into the nostrils. It goes through the nasal mucosa into the blood and affects the neural system. Maras Powder is also a smokeless tobacco type common in the southeast of Turkey, especially in Gaziantep and Maras, which gave its name to the product. Cocaine is made from the coca plant, and it can be in the form of powder and rock. The rock one is also known as crack. It passes through the nostrils and is absorbed in the blood, causing paranoias, sleeplessness, extreme energy, and more confidence. When oxytocin is said, some positive words come to mind, such as socializing, relationships, feeling of trust, and understanding. It is a hormone and neurotransmitter. Increasing interpersonal communication in the shortest time is an important issue today. Online meetings, the ability of different people to work on the same file simultaneously over the computer, cause individuals to distance themselves from each other and decrease communication among them. Despite being in the same social environment, friends often communicate with others with their smartphones instead of having face-to-face relations. To increase interpersonal communication experience, events involving alcohol take is the mostly commonly used one. Nasal snuff, cocaine, crack, and oxytocin abolish self-control which affects interpersonal communication negatively at the end of the day.
Topics: Humans; Powders; Oxytocin; Tobacco, Smokeless; Nicotiana; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Cocaine; Communication
PubMed: 36524917
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202212_30492 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021Worry, negative self-beliefs, and sleep disturbance have been identified as contributory factors to the onset, maintenance, and severity of paranoia. We tested the...
Worry, negative self-beliefs, and sleep disturbance have been identified as contributory factors to the onset, maintenance, and severity of paranoia. We tested the specificity of these contributory factors to paranoia compared to grandiosity, a different type of delusional ideation. Data were used from 814 adults from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland (NKI-Rockland) study, a general population dataset. Paranoid and grandiose delusional ideation was assessed using the Peters Delusions Inventory (PDI-21) and correlated with self-reported worry ( = 228), negative self-beliefs ( = 485), and sleep quality ( = 655). Correlations were compared using Fisher's r-to-z transform to examine whether the magnitude of relationships differed by delusion type. Paranoia was significantly associated with worry, negative self-belief, and sleep quality. Grandiosity demonstrated significantly weaker relationships with worry and negative self-beliefs. Relationships with sleep quality were similar. We replicate previous reports that worry, negative self-beliefs and sleep quality are associated with paranoid ideation in the general population. We extend these findings by demonstrating that these contributory factors, particularly worry and negative self-beliefs, are associated with paranoid ideation to a greater extent than grandiosity. This suggests a degree of specificity of contributory factors to different types of delusional thinking, supporting the pursuit of specific psychological models and treatments for each delusion type.
PubMed: 33995151
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.668152 -
JMIR Serious Games Nov 2018Although traditional forms of therapy for anxiety-related disorders (eg, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT) have been effective, there have been long-standing issues... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Although traditional forms of therapy for anxiety-related disorders (eg, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT) have been effective, there have been long-standing issues with these therapies that largely center around the costs and risks associated with the components comprising the therapeutic process. To treat certain types of specific phobias, sessions may need to be held in public, therefore risking patient confidentiality and the occurrence of uncontrollable circumstances (eg, weather and bystander behavior) or additional expenses such as travel to reach a destination. To address these issues, past studies have implemented virtual reality (VR) technologies for virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) to provide an immersive, interactive experience that can be conducted privately and inexpensively. The versatility of VR allows various environments and scenarios to be generated while giving therapists control over variables that would otherwise be impossible in a natural setting. Although the outcomes from these studies have been generally positive despite the limitations of legacy VR systems, it is necessary to review these studies to identify how modern VR systems can and should improve to treat disorders in which anxiety is a key symptom, including specific phobias, posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and paranoid ideations.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this review was to establish the efficacy of VR-based treatment for anxiety-related disorders as well as to outline how modern VR systems need to address the shortcomings of legacy VR systems.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted for any VR-related, peer-reviewed articles focused on the treatment or assessment of anxiety-based disorders published before August 31, 2017, within the ProQuest Central, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES databases. References from these articles were also evaluated.
RESULTS
A total of 49 studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 2419 studies. These studies were a mix of case studies focused solely on VRET, experimental studies comparing the efficacy of VRET with various forms of CBT (eg, in vivo exposure, imaginal exposure, and exposure group therapy), and studies evaluating the usefulness of VR technology as a diagnostic tool for paranoid ideations. The majority of studies reported positive findings in favor of VRET despite the VR technology's limitations.
CONCLUSIONS
Although past studies have demonstrated promising and emerging efficacy for the use of VR as a treatment and diagnostic tool for anxiety-related disorders, it is clear that VR technology as a whole needs to improve to provide a completely immersive and interactive experience that is capable of blurring the lines between the real and virtual world.
PubMed: 30404770
DOI: 10.2196/10965