Persecutory delusions, the unfounded beliefs that others intend harm to the individual, are a major psychiatric problem. They are a common feature of severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder and bipolar disorder, often lead to admission to psychiatric hospital, and are a cause of considerable distress to patients and carers. However, increasingly it is recognised that persecutory delusions reflect the severe end of a spectrum of paranoia, which also encompasses beliefs and worries about threats from others that are common in the general population. In the last ten years an increasing number of researchers and clinicians have focussed on explaining paranoid experience in both clinical and non-clinical populations, with fascinating results. This recent research is presented for the first time as a book. In this landmark publication, the three major authorities in the field bring together the current knowledge about the assessment, understanding, and treatment of persecutory delusions. Leading experts in cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, social psychiatry, neuroimaging, and neuroscience explain their perspectives on paranoia. Pharmacological, cognitive, and family interventions are comprehensively reviewed, and personal accounts of paranoia are included.

Learn how to overcome your feelings of paranoia 'This is the definitive practical guide from the leaders in the field on a hugely important topic. Written in an engaging, easy-to-understand style, the book tells how new research on paranoia is revealing how best to overcome it. The first edition helped many thousands of sufferers and the second edition promises even more.' Mark Williams, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, co-author of Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World Do you feel as if others are out to get you? Research shows that 20-30 percent of people in the UK frequently have paranoid or suspicious thoughts about other people. These feelings can make life a misery. In this fully revised and expanded new edition, the authors explain how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques can be used to treat this disorder by changing unhelpful patterns of behaviour and thought. 'The authors of this excellent and timely book have played a major role in developing our understanding of how suspicious thoughts arise and, crucially, how we can learn to cope with them.' Nicholas Tarier, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Manchester University Overcoming self-help guides use clinically proven CBT techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended by the Department of Health under the Books on Prescription scheme.