The paranoid personality disorder it is characterized because the person who has it is excessively distrustful and suspicious of others without any justification. They tend not to trust other people and think they want to hurt them.
Although it may be adaptive to be a little cautious of others and their intentions, being overly suspicious can interfere with personal life or work. Even events that are not related to them are interpreted as personal attacks.
People with this disorder usually have a hard time getting along with others and often have trouble establishing close personal relationships. They are very sensitive to criticism and have a great need to be self-reliant and autonomous.
They also need to have a high level of control over those around them. They are often rigid, critical of others, and unable to collaborate.
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Paranoid disorder usually begins in early adulthood and occurs in a variety of settings, with symptoms such as:
-Suspicion, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming or lying to you.
-Concern for unjustified doubts about the loyalty or mistrust of friends or close people.
-Reluctant to trust others out of unwarranted fear that the information will be used against him / her.
-Persistent grudge.
-You perceive attacks on your character or reputation.
-Impulsiveness when reacting.
-Recurring suspicions without justification, regarding the fidelity of the sexual partner.
Cognitive theorists believe that this disorder is the result of a belief that other people are liars or malevolent, in combination with a lack of self-esteem. This is a maladaptive way of seeing the world that dominates any aspect of the lives of these individuals..
Other possible causes have been proposed. For example, some therapists believe that behavior may have been learned from childhood experiences. Accordingly, children who are exposed to adult hatred and have no way to predict or escape develop paranoid thinking traits in an effort to cope with stress.
On the other hand, some research suggests that the disorder may be slightly more common among relatives of people with schizophrenia, although the association is not very strong..
Studies with monozygotic or dizygotic twins suggest that genetic factors may also play an important role.
Cultural factors have also been related to this disorder; certain groups of people, such as prisoners, refugees, the hard of hearing, or the elderly are thought to be more susceptible to developing it.
Because Paranoid Personality Disorder describes long-term behavior patterns, they are most often diagnosed in adulthood..
A) General mistrust and suspicion from the beginning of adulthood, such that the intentions of others are interpreted as malicious, and that they appear in various contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following points:
B) These characteristics do not appear exclusively in the course of schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic symptoms, or other psychotic disorder, and are not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition..
It is characterized by at least three of the following:
It is important that psychologists or psychiatrists do not confuse paranoid disorder with another personality or mental disorder that may have some symptoms in common..
For example, it is important to ensure that the patient is not a long-term amphetamine or cocaine user. Chronic abuse of these stimulants can lead to paranoid behavior.
Also, some drugs can produce paranoid as a side effect. If the patient has symptoms of schizophrenia, hallucinations, or a thought disorder, a diagnosis of paranoid disorder cannot be made..
Suspicion and other characteristics must be present in the patient for a long time.
The following pathologies must be ruled out before diagnosing PPD: paranoid schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, mood disorders with psychotic characteristics, symptoms or personality changes caused by diseases, medical conditions or abuse of borderline, histrionic, avoidant, antisocial, or narcissistic drugs and personality disorders.
Other disorders can occur frequently alongside this disorder:
Treatment of paranoid personality disorder can be very effective in controlling paranoia but it is difficult because the person may be suspicious of the doctor.
Without treatment, this disorder can be chronic..
A trusting relationship with a therapist offers great benefit to people with this disorder, although it is extremely complicated by the skepticism of these people.
Building the patient-therapist relationship requires a lot of patience and is difficult to maintain even when trust has been established.
Group therapies that include family members or other psychiatric patients do not work for these people because of their lack of trust in others.
To gain the trust of these patients, therapists must hide as little as possible. This transparency should include note taking, administrative details, tasks related to the patient, correspondence, medications ...
Any indication that the patient considers a “lie” can lead to the abandonment of treatment.
On the other hand, paranoid patients do not have a developed sense of humor, so those who interact with them should think about whether to make jokes in their presence, since they can take them as ridiculous, since they feel easily threatened.
With some patients, the most important goal is to help them learn to relate appropriately to other people..
Medication is not recommended for patients with PPD, as they can contribute to a sense of suspicion.
If they can be used to treat specific conditions of the disorder such as severe anxiety or illusions.
An anxiolytic such as diazepam may be prescribed if the patient suffers from severe anxiety. An antipsychotic such as thioridazine or haloperidol if the patient has dangerous paranoid thoughts.
Medications should be used for the shortest time possible.
The best use of medication may be for specific complaints, when the patient trusts the therapist enough to ask for help in reducing their symptoms..
TPP occurs in approximately 0.5% -2.5% of the general population and occurs more frequently in men.
A long-term study with Norwegian twins found that PPD is modestly heritable and shares a proportion of its genetic and environmental risk factors with schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders..
Like most personality disorders, PPD will decrease in intensity with age.
Although prevention of PPD is not possible, treatment can allow the person prone to this condition to learn more productive ways of dealing with people and situations..
Individuals with paranoid disorder typically have difficulty getting along with other people and often have trouble establishing close personal relationships due to excessive suspicion and hostility..
They are usually unable to collaborate with others at work and may be against being close to others for fear of sharing information.
The combative and suspicious naturalization can elicit a hostile response in others, which serves to confirm their original expectations.
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