Paranoid Personality Disorder: causes and symptoms

Do you know the main symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder?

Individuals suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder are usually characterized by a very marked and generalized distrust of other people for a relatively long period of time. and generalized distrust towards other people for a relatively long period of time.

People suffering from this disorder are extremely suspicious of the actions, attitudes or intentions of others, to the point that they believe that there are conspiracies and "suspicious" movements that seek to hurt or harm them in some way.

Throughout this article we will see which are the symptoms, possible causes and treatments of the Paranoid Personality Disorder, and its general characteristics like psychological alteration.

What is Paranoid Personality Disorder?

Paranoid Personality Disorder is a clinical entity in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology of the DSM-IV manual. This personality disorder is characterized by the existence of paranoid delusionsParanoid delusions: the belief that there are third parties who seek to harm us in some way, and in a covert or secret way.

Therefore, people who present this clinical picture tend to attribute malicious intentions to other people or entities, regardless of whether they are or have been physically close to them or whether they actually exist.

Characteristics of the paranoid personality

People affected by this disorder vividly believe that other individuals are trying to take advantage of them, or want to harm or hurt them, although there is no data or evidence to lead to that conclusion. We should not confuse this pathological belief pattern with what an average human being may think or experience at certain times in life, for example in the work environment, such as feeling less valued than a co-worker, etc.

People suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder are extreme cases of this trait, and they carry these false beliefs to all or almost all areas of lifeThey carry these false beliefs into all or almost all areas of life: from the professional sphere to friendships and family relationships.

Symptoms

Repetition of paranoid experiences is the main feature of Paranoid Personality Disorder. During these episodes, the affected person will experience some of the following symptoms:

• Excessive preoccupation Excessive concern about the feelings of loyalty of his or her close associates and peers.
• Unfounded anticipation that other people want to cause him/her harm by deceiving him/her or taking advantage of him/her.deceiving or taking advantage of him/her.
• Complete distrust of others. They avoid disseminating sensitive information because they believe it can be used against them, being the object of betrayal and ridicule.
• Overestimation of risks and threats.
• Tendency to mental repetition of certain memories, words or gestures of third partiesThey tend to mentally repeat certain memories, words or gestures of others that were offensive to them, such as mockery or insults (often experienced in an exaggerated way), which also provokes a strong feeling of resentment.
• Excessive self-absorptionegocentrism and presumptuousness: they tend to consider themselves more important than the rest.
• Disproportionate response to the attacks of others.They may even present attacks of anger and disproportionate rage for no logical reason.
• Emotional hermeticismThey are contemplative, cold and demanding with others to prevent them from harming them.
• Hypersusceptibility to third parties' comments about him, considering it a personal attack or a mockery that compromises his reputation.
• Recurrent suspicions of infidelity of their spouse, which causes discomfort in the relationship, often leading to the end of their life together.
• Isolation, given their elusive behavior, they avoid prolonging social relations beyond what is strictly necessary.
• Family disputesusually for economic reasons. Their excessive suspicion leads them to think that their relatives are deceiving them or that they are revealing their intimacies to third parties.
• Inability to maintain the workplaceThey are unable to maintain the workplace, due to their lack of commitment to carry out their tasks, especially when these are face to face with the public, in addition to their feeling of being exploited and receiving a salary that does not correspond to their preparation or talent.
• Recurrent health problems health problemsThey are distrustful of health personnel and physicians, which prevents them from going to the doctor on a regular basis. In some cases they resort to self-medication.
• Unjustified aggressiveness and nerves on edge, with a marked attitude of contempt towards other people.
• Expressions of admiration and respect for people who have social value or greater power.. On the other hand, they are usually reluctant to contact with people they consider socially inferior or weak, whom they depreciate.

Causes

Although this disorder has been studied in depth, there is still no reliable data on its causes.. There are different theories and hypotheses about the causes of paranoid personality disorder.

In most cases, mental health experts agree that the causes are biopsychosocial, i.e., a mixture of Biological and genetic factors coupled with learned and social factors. In other words, there would be a certain genetic and biological predisposition to have a paranoid type of thinking structure, but also learned roles and the environment can lead to this predisposition being clearly manifested, or not.

In addition, there are also psychological causes, which are linked to the personality, character and temperament of the person, which may also be related to the occurrence of the paranoid disorder. For example, having learned coping strategies during childhood may be a preventive factor in the development of certain mental disorders, as it helps to alleviate the discomfort caused by the stress of certain everyday situations.

In any case, it is a multi-causal disorder and each case is unique.

Treatment

Treatment for paranoid personality disorder is usually based on psychological therapy with a psychologist with experience and training in the professional support of such cases. Certain psychotropic drugs may also be administered if the symptoms and the personal and social context of the affected person so warrant.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the least invasive and most effective method for treating any type of when treating any type of personality disorder.

Being a disorder that has its origin in maladaptive and irrational beliefs of the patient, the focus will revolve around regaining the confidence of the affected person, since it is not usual for them to talk about their paranoid ideas from the outset.

2. Pharmacological

Psychotropic drugs, although effective from a psychiatric point of view, are not recommended. in this type of cases because they can generate suspicion and misgivings on the part of the patient, and this usually leads to abandonment of the therapeutic process. In this case, if strictly necessary, the administration of medication should be limited to short periods of time.

Anxiolytic psychotropic drugs, for example Diazepam, are usually administered in cases where the patient suffers from anxiety or agitation. Antipsychotic medication, e.g. Haloperidol, may be indicated if the affected person has psychotic thoughts that may be potentially dangerous to him or herself or others.

Bibliographic references:

• Belloch, A.; Sandín, B. and Ramos, F. (2006). Manual of Psychopathology. (2 Vol). Madrid; McGrawHill.
• López-Ibor Aliño, Juan J. & Valdés Miyar, Manuel (dir.). (2002). DSM-IV-TR. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Revised text. Barcelona: Editorial Masson.
• Waldinger, Robert J. (1 August 1997). Psychiatry for Medical Students. American Psychiatric.