Someone nudges you, the eye of a curious stranger on a train, or a drink spilled on your leg are all mostly harmless, if unpleasant, incidents.
But for millions of people in the UK, such everyday events trigger paranoid thoughts that, in extreme cases, are a central part of psychosis and serious mental illness like schizophrenia.
Even at a milder level, this type of obsessive thinking, which can interpret innocent curiosity as threatening behavior or an accident as a deliberately calculated act of aggression, can make social interaction difficult.
There is an effective treatment for paranoia — face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help nearly half of sufferers, studies show.
But the difficulty is how to get that treatment, even if your paranoia is on the hard side of the spectrum due to a huge shortage of therapists.
In 2012, a landmark schizophrenia study found that “although it is recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence)”, “only one in ten people who might benefit from it gets access to CBT.”
This was told by the author, Professor Sir Robin Murray. I that, despite his alarming appeal, the situation has only “slightly improved” over the past decade.
But now help may be at hand. NHS research continues on a new app that uses CBT techniques to help patients get rid of paranoid thinking using their smartphones.
Known as “Stop” (Successful Paranoia Treatment), the app uses text, images, animation and sound over twelve weekly sessions of 40 to 60 minutes to give patients the tools to deal with paranoia.
This helps people view incidents such as spills as likely accidents rather than deliberate attacks and consider more positive explanations.
For example, the user may be prompted to consider a young hairdresser who accidentally cuts his neck as a student rather than an adversary. It also deals with serious fears, such as the belief that a random stranger has a gun or knife and wants to kill you.
The idea is not to give users scenarios they can relate to when they happen to them, but to change how they see things in general.
The first small study of 60 patients using desktop computers found that “paranoia symptoms can be reduced by 20%,” said Jenny Yend, professor of cognitive psychopathology at King’s College London, who is leading the study. trial version of the NHS app.
“Paranoia is a real problem that can be cured”
“I have been paranoid for a long time. I tried to use the stop app as part of an investigation. After using it just twice, I felt like my world was a little bigger.
Dr. Thomas Kabir is an experienced Stop Study Consultant and really liked the app when he tried it on himself.
“The app showed me a sentence describing the scenario. An example would be: “You are walking down the street and you notice that someone is looking at you.” After reading the script, the participants are given two tasks: insert the missing letter in the word and answer the question. Both tasks encourage people to interpret information in ways that form useful beliefs about themselves and others. You go through many of these scenarios in one treatment session.
“Before using the app, I thought I would get tired of going through so many different scenarios. But I found the interpretations really interesting and gave me new ideas and perspectives on things I hadn’t thought about before. For example, when I’m in a cafe and I’m being served for a long time, I can come up with several explanations for why this is, and it makes me feel more relaxed.”
“The NHS simply doesn’t have enough help for people with paranoia,” said Kabir, deputy director of the McPin Foundation (a mental health charity involved in the project). “If successful, the stop approach can be used by anyone with a smartphone.
“I hope studies like Stop make it clear that paranoia is indeed a real mental health issue that can be successfully treated. It’s time to end the paranoia.”
But the number of people who can be helped by the technology developed by London-based startup Avegen and King’s College could be a game-changer as the demand can be overwhelming.
According to a 2018 study by King’s College, between 10 and 15 percent of the UK population regularly have paranoid and suspicious thoughts — up to 10 million people.
Professor Yend said she was “very excited” by the app’s potential to increase access to treatment, “to help people deal with paranoia” and make them more attractive.
“Apps and other digital therapies are not for everyone,” she said. “But those of us who work in this field believe that they can really help many patients, many of whom would otherwise have long been waiting for personalized treatment.
“Digital therapy can feel impersonal, which some people don’t like. But if you’re one of those people who has a hard time opening up or trusting other people—even therapists—the app can be a great way to get healed.”
And for those who want that help now, the NHS process, run by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, the University of Bath and King’s College, is still open to adults living in England who have anxious thoughts.
Professor Murray, who is familiar with the app but not involved in the project, said such solutions are “important in helping people control their thoughts and take the pressure off overworked mental health professionals.”
The app could provide a first-line treatment for many people with paranoid thoughts, experts say, and complement in-person sessions for others.
Dr. Sarah Beiteup, cognitive behavioral therapist and chief clinical officer of Oliva, a corporate mental health service also not involved in the project, said: “Innovative, technologically enhanced therapy approaches like Stop are sorely needed—and they can expand access. . to expand mental health services to thousands of people.
“Based on initial testing, Stop appears to be a promising and compelling treatment for paranoia, which can be debilitating for anyone who suffers from it. I look forward to the results of the ongoing clinical trial.”
But Lucy Schonefacade, deputy director of policy and practice for Rethink Mental Illness, the charity that published Professor Murray’s report on schizophrenia, warned: “Digital interventions, such as apps, can help people recover from serious mental illness, but only if they are part of an expanded care package.
“When asked about the key moments of recovery, people and their caregivers often highlight the kind and humane support they received from a health worker who gave them hope for the future.”
Professor Murray said: “Digital approaches are not meant to replace [face to face] CBT. Rather, the goal is for both of them to be available as part of a larger system that effectively sorts people and ensures they have access to the right level of care as quickly as possible.”
How the Stop App Reduces Paranoia
Stop uses videos, actions, and ratings obtained through a smartphone app to eliminate a psychological process called “ambiguity biased interpretation.”
Typically, this process means that people with paranoia automatically interpret emotionally ambiguous situations negatively. But new technology teaches people to consider alternative perspectives on situations, which could lead to a reduction in anxiety-provoking symptoms of paranoia.
Sessions include reading text that can be interpreted in a paranoid way (for example, a stranger’s gaze that may reflect malicious intent) and encouraging readers to explore alternative interpretations (for example, an innocent look that reflects curiosity) through verbal tasks and questions that ask you to give a positive – or realistic – turn to events.
For example, one of the exercises is: “You are starting a new job and hope to make friends with your colleagues. At the end of the first day, you ask people if they want to go out for a drink, but everyone says they’re too busy.”
You will then be asked to fill in the missing word: “Do you feel… ap_l_getic.”
This way you will be guided by the pronunciation of the word “sorry”. The next question is “Ask again another day” and you will be presented with yes/no options.
Professor Jenny Yend, who led the NHS app trial, said: “This is a mixed bag. Did you do something wrong, you smell bad, did you do something wrong, or are they just too busy and it doesn’t matter?
“People with paranoia worry about social situations like this. In our intervention, we encourage people to think about how to interpret this situation differently than what first comes to mind. It is based on the same basic idea as in face to face therapy, but we do it in a completely different way without a therapist.”
“Each of the scenarios is designed to provoke potential misinterpretation, and we encourage people to open up to the alternative by presenting the alternative to them. So here the alternative is basically that people are apologetic and very happy to go out with you the next day if you ask again. All of them were busy. We don’t say it directly. We’ll let them finish the word “sorry.” We recommend that you think of a positive interpretation. We’re not telling people to think or should think that way, we’re just presenting a different perspective on these situations.”
Source: I News
With a background in journalism and a passion for technology, I am an experienced writer and editor. As an author at 24 News Reporter, I specialize in writing about the latest news and developments within the tech industry. My work has been featured on various publications including Wired Magazine and Engadget.