Do you suffer from sensitive paranoia?

1. Test yourself

Read the instructions carefully before taking the test

Test yourself by sincerely answering the questions, preferably with a close friend or relative, who has known you for a long time. This person will be able to give you his/her opinion on the most objective answers and could also perform the test separately and you will then be able to compare all of your answers.

This test does not claim to establish a medical diagnosis. It is only designed to help you consider the possibility of a diagnosis of sensitive paranoia and may therefore encourage you to consult a psychiatrist, as only a psychiatrist can confirm the diagnosis.

You should perform this test on the basis of your usual psychological state. Do not take the test during a particularly difficult episode or after you have received bad news or after serious work or relationship problems. Your answers must reflect your usual state that you have experienced for more than 3 weeks.

As we will see below (course of the disorders), the diagnosis of sensitive paranoia is very difficult for many reasons and is often only established after several years of suffering. It is therefore important and advantageous to take this very simple test as soon as possible.

This test comprises 21 questions. You must count the number of positive replies.

1. Do you keep your bedroom fairly tidy?
2. Were you a slow learner during the first years of primary school?
3. Do you talk very little during meals where there are a lot of guests?
4. Do you think that people do not realise your real value?
5. Do you have few friends?
6. Are you often weary, tired, lacking vitality?
7. Do you think that other people lack moral values?
8. Do you think that other people are inferior to yourself?
9. Are you fairly distrustful when you meet a new person?
10. If you take psychotropic drugs or antidepressants, are they beneficial?
11. Do you feel sufficiently appreciated?
12. Are you often bothered by recurrent thoughts?
13. Do you have more aversion for your family and friends than for other people?
14. Do you experience internal moral conflicts?
15. Do you like to check on what you are told?
16. Do you consciously and intensively analyse your inner life?
17. Are you more comfortable in front of your computer than in a group?
18. Do you resent other people’s comments for a long time?
19. Do you like to take your time when making a decision?
20. Do you feel shy with people of your own age of the opposite sex?
21. Are you interested in spirituality?

If you have sincerely and objectively answered these questions, your score based on the number of positive replies corresponds to the following situations :

• 0 to 6: you do not have Kretschmer sensitive paranoia

• 7 to 11: there is little chance that you have Kretschmer sensitive paranoia

• 12 to 16: you may have Kretschmer sensitive paranoia

• 17 to 21: it is very likely that you have Kretschmer sensitive paranoia

2. Main differences between the symptoms of sensitive paranoia and those of other psychiatric disorders

Social phobia

Social phobia, like sensitive paranoia, are characterized by social withdrawal. Severe forms of social phobia could therefore be confused with sensitive paranoia. However, there are 2 main differences between these two disorders:

– subjects with sensitive paranoia, when they are not depressed, are not really aware of their disorder, while social phobic subjects are aware of their problem and seek medical attention.

– the sensitive subject’s interpretations are delusional in a context of persecution, which is not the case in social phobia.