An ‘age of paranoia’ is dawning, according to Dr Daniel Freeman of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. Paranoia is far more common among the general public than had previously been suspected, and on the increase, he claims. Dr Freeman, who recently developed a ‘virtual reality’ method of diagnosing paranoia, believes a combination of factors has helped to create an ‘era of suspiciousness’. One is the increasing number of people living in cities. For the first time, 2008 has seen urban populations in the world outnumber rural. Rates of paranoia are known to be twice as high in cities as in rural communities, said Dr Freeman.
The Herald