Understanding Paranoia: A Guide for Professionals, Families, and Sufferers (Hardcover)

by Martin Kantor (Author) "A paranoid individual's characteristic problems with appearance, speech, thought, behavior, mood, insight, judgment, and intelligence when taken together trace a recognizable pattern called the mental..." (more)
Key Phrases: many paranoid individuals, other paranoid individuals, litigious delusions, New York, American Psychiatric Association, Greenwich Village (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Patients, family members, co-workers and friends will benefit from this practical advice with well-chosen examples. A unique treatment; highly recommended. -- Library Journal, August, 2004

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

“Starred 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

“Understanding Paranoia 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

“[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

“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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; 1 edition (June 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275981525
• ISBN-13: 978-0275981525
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When you love someone with paranoia, February 20, 2007

By	D. Gladieux (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first opened this book, I felt that it was not appropriate for my situation. It seemed to address the disorder as it manifests most severely--with psychosis and extreme delusions. I passed the book on to the paranoid individual in my life and he has been very impressed with Dr. Kantor's work. The chapters near the end about how to deal with paranoid people, how to understand one's own thinking (for the paranoid person) and his descrpitions of how paranoid people may be in relationships and the prognosis for these were particularly useful. Overall, this book has been a big part of helping a man see how paranoia has affected his life and how he can lessen its impact. It has been life-changing. It is not only extremely well written and researched, it is also just about the only text you will find on the subject which can be applied to people with PPD, rather than the more severe manifestations.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book out there on the topic!, December 23, 2004

By	Raeleen D'Agostino Mautner, Ph.D. "Author of ... (North Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews

I am an avid fan of the work of Dr. Kantor. He consistently has a way of reaching his readers in a non-threatening conversational style, that takes you right to the heart of understanding even the most complex disorders. UNDERSTANDING PARANOIA is a brilliant and definitive guide for all of us. Whether we personally struggle with mild or more severe paranoia --or if we have family, friends,acquaintances or clients that are affected by this disorder---this book not only helps us understand the causes and descriptions, but it also gives us effective solutions which are readily available to all. Incredibly insightful book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a book on paranoia for the layperson, August 18, 2007

By	Tom M. "Tom M." (Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews

This clearly written insightful book on a generally overlooked topic helped me understand myself and my relatives. If you think you may be paranoid or have a relative who suffers from paranoia this book will speak to in your language and fill you in on what is going on. Don't believe the review about its being too complicated; it is straighforward and to the point. I really found it useful.