Recovery from paranoia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Recovery from paranoia: a qualitative exploration
IRAS ID
289951
Contact name
David Ariel Sher
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Clinical Trials and Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Paranoia, the experience of undue or excessive mistrust, exists on a continuum which includes suspicious thoughts, ideas of reference, and persecutory delusions. Persecutory delusions refers to strong unfounded fears that others intend harm. These fears are very common. They affect around 70% of patients with schizophrenia. They can be distressing and make day-to-day tasks difficult. However, current treatments are limited and a significant proportion of people do not benefit sufficiently. Therefore, improvements in treatment are needed. A better understanding of the experience of recovery from paranoia will help inform theoretical understanding and treatment development. Currently we do not fully understand what causes paranoia to occur, persist, or end. As such, it is critical to understand the experiences of those who have recovered, in particular what elements encourage recovery. Therefore the aim of this study is to gain a first person perspective on how people recover from paranoia and what psychological processes are important for recovery from paranoia. Using a qualitative approach appropriate for exploratory research, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with 12-15 patients who have recovered from paranoia. Interviews will be analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which is a qualitative research approach which aims to provide insight on how an individual, in a particular situation, makes sense of their experience.
REC name
Wales REC 2
REC reference
21/WA/0081
Date of REC Opinion
12 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion