Paranoid personality disorder (paranoid personality disorder) is primarily associated with a significant suspicion towards other people and the belief that everyone around them wants to do some harm to a patient with this personality disorder. Other manifestations of a paranoid personality disorder may also include the partner's constant suspicion of infidelity and a tendency to experience various critical remarks for a long time. Read on to understand what causes paranoid personality disorder, find out what other symptoms of this personality disorder are, and find out how to treat paranoid personality disorder.

Paranoid personality disorder(paranoid personality disorder) is one of the distinguished personality disorders. Just as each of us happens to be suspicious of others - especially strangers - in the case of people with paranoid personality, this suspicion takes on a definitely pathological intensity: these people have the impression that their entire environment is planning to do them some harm and some sinister plans against them.

The onset of paranoid personality disorder, like other types of personality disorder, usually occurs during adolescence or young adulthood. The prevalence of paranoid personality disorder in the general population varies, but overall it is estimated that this type of personality disorder affects 0.5% to 2.5% of people. Paranoid personality disorder is more often found in men than in women.

Contents:

  1. Paranoid personality disorder: causes
  2. Paranoid personality disorder: symptoms
  3. Paranoid personality: recognition
  4. Paranoid personality: treatment

Paranoid personality disorder: causes

As with other personality disorders, the causes of paranoid personality disorder have not yet been clearly identified. It is generally suggested that the pathogenesis of this problem is multifactorial and that its occurrence is influenced by both biological and environmental factors. In the case of the first of these, we are talking about genes - it turns out that when someone in the family of a given person suffered from some personality disorders, the risk that this person will also develop one of the problems included in this group is increased.There is also an increased incidence of paranoid personality disorders in families where someone previously struggled with schizophrenia or delusional disorders.

Various difficulties experienced during childhood, such as abuse or exposure to some other form of violence, may also contribute to the development of paranoid personality disorder. It is also believed that a factor contributing to the occurrence of this problem (especially in people predisposed to it, e.g. due to family burdens) may be the persecution of a young person by peers, e.g. at school.

Paranoid personality disorder: symptoms

Merely being suspicious and distrustful is not enough for a patient to be diagnosed with a paranoid personality disorder. In order to make such a diagnosis, it is necessary to identify many other, additional ailments that significantly adversely affect the daily functioning of a person. The typical symptoms of a paranoid personality are:

  • constant fear of being used by other people and of experiencing some harm from them - a patient with a paranoid personality is constantly convinced that other people want him to be harmed in a variety of ways,
  • relationship difficulties with a partner: a patient with a paranoid personality disorder is convinced that the person in a relationship is not faithful to him, he also feels that he cannot fully trust his partner,
  • difficulties with social relationships: paranoid personality is characterized by avoiding conversations about himself or his problems - a person with this disorder is very reluctant to confide in anyone because he is afraid that the information provided to others will be used against him,
  • exceptional ease in crossing out other people: when a person with a paranoid personality has even a shadow of a suspicion that he is being deceived by someone or has the impression that the person is disloyal to him, he can very quickly break up completely contact with her,
  • experiencing various insults or critical remarks for a long time: it is very difficult for a paranoid patient to forgive others, it can be said that in fact he cultivates a grudge and for a very long time he feels aggrieved after various insults or criticism,
  • low frustration tolerance,
  • constant need - usually unjustified - to fight for your rights,
  • having an excessively developed self-esteem.

It is worth emphasizing here that the paranoid personality really complicates thingsnormal functioning to the patient. All of us are distrustful at times, but in the case of a paranoid personality disorder, reflecting on how other people try to harm a patient can in fact dominate his entire life. In extreme cases, it happens that a person with a paranoid personality - because of his fear of being hurt by other people - completely isolates himself from both his friends and even members of his immediate family.

Paranoid personality: recognition

A patient with a paranoid personality rarely reports to a specialist by himself - typically, in his opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. Usually, it is his relatives who try to persuade him to seek help, it also happens that a person in a relationship with a person with a paranoid personality disorder, fed up with constant accusations of infidelity, persuades him to talk to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

In recognizing a paranoid personality, the most important thing is to identify the symptoms characteristic of this problem. Before making a diagnosis, however, it is always necessary to exclude other potential causes of the patient's complaints. The differential diagnosis mainly takes into account other types of personality disorders, such as schizoid personality, borderline personality, and avoidant and histrionic personality. Before diagnosing paranoid personality disorder, it is also necessary to exclude the fact that the patient's ailments are caused by schizophrenia or delusional disorders. A diagnosis cannot be made also when problems resembling paranoid personality disorders are caused by taking some psychoactive substances.

When a paranoid personality is suspected, a visit to a psychiatrist is also necessary because people with this problem often have psychiatric problems other than personality disorders. Such can be, among others depressive disorders, anxiety disorders or a significant tendency to manifest aggressive behavior.

Paranoid personality: treatment

Treating a paranoid personality disorder is possible, but - which needs to be emphasized - it is definitely not easy. The basic problems related to this disorder, i.e. suspicion and the impression that everyone wants to hurt the patient, are manifested not only in relation to people they know, but also towards strangers - including doctors or therapists with whom a person with personality comes into contact. paranoid. The key to the success of any therapy is building a therapeutic relationship,in which the patient trusts his therapist - for this reason, unfortunately, often various difficulties are associated with the treatment of paranoid personality disorder (it is not uncommon, for example, when the patient gives up therapy very quickly due to a lack of trust in the therapist).

Psychotherapy plays a fundamental role in the treatment of paranoid personality disorder. There is no single, specific type of psychotherapy that would be most beneficial in the case of a paranoid personality - in different patients the beneficial effects may be achieved by completely different therapeutic techniques. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and psychodynamic therapy are examples of types of therapy that may work as expected in people with paranoid personality disorder.

Although this is rare, medication is sometimes prescribed for paranoid patients. It should be emphasized here, however, that drugs are not intended to cure a patient of personality disorders, but actually the purpose of their use is to eliminate other comorbid problems. Pharmacotherapy in people with paranoid personality disorder may be initiated, for example, in the presence of depressive disorders (then the patient may be prescribed antidepressants) or when intensified symptoms of anxiety are found.

Sources:

Triebwasser J. et al., Paranoid Personality Disorder, Journal of Personality Disorders 2013: Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 795-805.

"Psychiatria", scientific editor M. Jarema, J. Rabe-Jabłońska, ed. PZWL, Warsaw 2011

"Psychiatry. A textbook for students ”, B. K. Puri, I. H. Treasaden, eds. I Polish J. Rybakowski, F. Rybakowski, Elsevier Urban & Partner, Wrocław 2014

Category:

Psychology