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Definition: Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition characaterized by pervasive and long-standing extreme distrust and suspicion of others; hypersensitivity and scanning of the environment for clues that selectively validate prejudices, attitudes, or biases. Stable psychotic features such as delusions and hallucinations are absent. An unwarranted tendency to interpret the actions of other people as deliberately threatening or demeaning. Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Personality disorders are chronic patterns of behavior that cause lasting problems with work and relationships. The cause of paranoid personality disorder is unknown, but it appears to be more common in families with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia and delusional disorder, which suggests a genetic influence. This condition manifests itself as an unwarranted tendency to interpret the actions of other people as deliberately threatening or demeaning. People with a paranoid personality disorder are suspicious of other people, and they are usually unable to acknowledge their own negative feelings towards others. Persons with paranoid personality disorder are hypersensitive. They expect trickery and disloyalty from other people. And then they try to avoid all surprises by anticipating them. In an interview people will be intense and guarded and overly serious. They have difficulty expressing warm emotions and tolerating feeling anything that is being dependent on another person. Including feelings of being dependent on the clinician. They are keenly aware of power and rank. They will often seize upon irrelevant details to confirm suspicions. And what happens is that they paranoid people generally do not see the forest for the trees. They will do this about their treatment as well as other aspects of their life. They have very poor judgment in matters relating to their specific fears. Often their judgment is not so impaired in other areas and so can be quite misleading. It’s often only when you get the paranoid person to talk about his or her fears you begin to see the disordered thinking and paranoid personality disorder. The DSM IV talks about a pervasive and unwarranted tendency to interpret the actions of other people as deliberately demeaning or threatening, and so you can see that you need four out of the seven criteria - you expect to be exploited or harmed being able to bear grudges. Quite a few people who are violent towards spouses in particular, fulfill the criteria for paranoid personality disorder. The etiology of the paranoid personality disorder is unknown. Some psychoanalytic theorists have suggested that people who would be objects of irrational and unpredictable parental rage may adopt paranoia as a realistic stance in childhood but then be unable to modify that stance in adulthood. The incidence of paranoid personality disorder is unknown because many of these people never present for treatment. The diagnosis is made more frequently in men than in women, and it is more frequently made in biological relatives. Treatment. It is important initially to be as open and straightforward as you can in your dealings with paranoid individuals. Use humor quite sparingly because it is so easily misunderstood. It is important to maintain a very professional manner, not to be overly warm, because this can exacerbate someone’s paranoid fears. Symptoms People with paranoid personality disorder are highly suspicious of other people. They are usually unable to acknowledge their own negative feelings towards other people. A pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
The main characteristics of paranoid personality disorder are: Suspicion With little basis, people with paranoid personality disorder will fear that others want to harm and exploit them. They may believe that spouses and friends are being unfaithful or betraying them. Some file lawsuit after lawsuit in an attempt to keep people from taking advantage of them. Hold grudges People with this disorder do not forgive insults, slights, or injuries easily. They are known for blaming others for their problems. Paranoia As the disorder 's name suggests, they perceive insults and threats from benign statements or events. They may see character and reputation attacks that are not apparent to others and may react with anger and counterattacks. Problems with intimacy People with paranoid personality disorder may have difficulty getting intimate with others because they are apprehensive about trusting people. This pattern of thinking is typically established by early adulthood. It may affect .5 to 2.5% of the population. |