Induced hearing deficit generates experimental paranoia.
The development of paranoid reactions was investigated in normal people experiencing a temporary loss of hearing. In a social setting, subjects made partially deaf by hypnotic suggestion, but kept unaware of the source of their deafness, became more paranoid as indicated on a variety of assessment measures. The results support a hypothesizes cognitive-social mechanism for the clinically observed relationship between paranoia and deafness in the elderly.
D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000523:psychology*; D006315:Hearing Loss, Functional / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010556:Personality Tests