A mode of thought, feeling, and behavior characterized centrally by false persecutory beliefs, more specifically referred to as paranoidness. The paranoid individual falsely believes he or she is being intentionally harassed, plotted against, threatened, demeaned, interfered with, wronged, exploited, or otherwise persecuted by malevolent others—either a specific person or a group. Commonly associated with these core persecutory beliefs are properties of suspiciousness, fearfulness, hostility, hypersensitivity, rigidity of conviction, and an exaggerated sense of self-reference. These properties are evident with varying degrees of intensity and duration.