paranoia
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paranoia
A mental disorder characterized by delusions, especially persecutory delusions or unfounded jealousy. The affected person often feels threatened, watched, or persecuted without reason.
In seiner Paranoia glaubte er, dass seine Nachbarn ihn ausspionierten.
In his paranoia, he believed that his neighbors were spying on him.
It is important to distinguish between the serious mental illness (m01) and everyday, exaggerated fear (m02). The context, whether medical or private, makes the meaning clear.
Ein Psychiater behandelt Patienten, die an Paranoia leiden.
A psychiatrist treats patients who suffer from paranoia.
In informal language, the expression 'Paranoia schieben' is very common. It means to suddenly become mistrustful or anxious without reason.
Immer wenn sein Handy klingelt und die Nummer unbekannt ist, schiebt er Paranoia.
Whenever his phone rings and the number is unknown, he gets paranoid.
When 'Paranoia' (paranoia) refers to the medical disorder, it is often combined with the verb 'leiden' (to suffer) and the preposition 'an' (+ dative): 'an Paranoia leiden' (to suffer from paranoia).
Der Detektiv in dem Roman leidet an Paranoia und vertraut niemandem.
The detective in the novel suffers from paranoia and trusts no one.
In the colloquial sense, 'Paranoia' (paranoia) is often used with the verb 'haben' (to have), similar to 'Angst haben' (to be afraid) or 'Hunger haben' (to be hungry).
Seit dem Einbruch in der Nachbarschaft hat sie nachts totale Paranoia.
Since the burglary in the neighborhood, she has been totally paranoid at night.
fear
'die Angst' and 'die Paranoia' both have to do with threat and fear. 'Angst' is a normal feeling and can have a specific reason. 'Paranoia' is much stronger: medically, it refers to a mental disorder involving delusions. Colloquially, it means an exaggerated or unfounded fear and strong mistrust. The words can be confused when someone is very anxious. But 'Paranoia' should be used carefully, because it can quickly sound harsh or judgmental.
Seine Paranoia wurde so stark, dass er glaubte, alle Nachbarn würden ihn beobachten.
His paranoia became so strong that he believed all the neighbors were watching him.
Nach dem Unfall hatte Maria lange Angst vor dem Autofahren.
After the accident, Maria was afraid of driving for a long time.