Paranoid Personality Disorder: causes and symptoms

Individuals suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder tend to be characterized by a very marked distrust and generalized towards other people during a relatively long period of time.

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

Characteristics of the paranoid personality

People affected by this disorder vividly believe that other individuals are trying to take advantage of them, or they want to harm or harm them, although there is no data or evidence that leads to that conclusion. We should not confuse this pathological belief pattern with what an average human being can think or experience at certain moments of life, for example in the workplace, 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 life : from the professional field to friendship or family relationships.

symptom

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

• Excess of concern about the feelings of loyalty of their close and companions.
• Unfounded anticipation that other people want to cause you harm, deceiving him or taking advantage of him.
• Rotunda mistrust towards others . They avoid spreading 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 parties that were offensive, such as teasing or insults (often experienced in an exaggerated manner), which also causes a strong feeling of resentment.
• Excessive self-absorption , a certain egocentrism and presumptuousness: they are usually considered more important than the rest.
• Disproportion in their response to the attacks of others , even arriving to present attacks of anger and excessive rage without a logical reason.
• Emotional hermetism , they are contemplative, cold and demanding with others to avoid that they can harm them.
• Hypersusceptibility to the comments of third parties about him, considering a personal attack or a mockery that compromises his reputation.
• Recurrent suspicions of infidelity of his spouse, which brings discomfort in the relationship, often leading to the end of life in common.
• Isolation, given their elusive behavior, avoid prolonging social relationships beyond what is strictly necessary.
• Family disputes , usually for economic reasons. Their excessive suspicion leads them to think that their relatives deceive them or reveal their intimacies to third parties.
• Impossibility to maintain the workplace , because of their limited commitment to carry out their tasks, mainly when these are face to the public, in addition to their feeling of being exploited and receiving a salary not according to their preparation or talent.
• Recurrent problems of Health , because of their distrust of health personnel and doctors, which prevents them from coming regularly for consultation. In some cases they resort to self-medication.
• Unjustified aggression and nerves on the skin, with a marked attitude of contempt towards other people.
• Expressions of admiration and respect for people who hold social value or greater power . On the other hand, they tend to be reluctant to contact people they consider socially or weakly inferior, whom they depreciate.

Causes

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

In most cases, experts in mental health agree that the causes are biopsychosocial, that is, a mixture of biological and genetic factors together with learned and social factors. In other words, there would be a genetic and biological predisposition to have a paranoid thinking structure, but also the roles learned and the environment can lead to this predisposition is clearly expressed, 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 onset of paranoid disorder.For example, having learned coping strategies during childhood can be a preventive factor when developing certain mental disorders, since it allows to alleviate the discomfort caused by the stress caused by certain everyday situations.

Be that as it may, it is a multi-causal disorder and each case is unique.

Treatment

The treatment for paranoid personality disorder is usually based on psychological therapy with an experienced psychologist and professional support training in these types of cases. Certain psychotropic drugs can also be administered if the symptoms and the personal and social context of the affected person warrant it.

1. Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the least invasive and most effective method when it comes to 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, since it is not usual to speak of input on their paranoid ideas.

2. Pharmacological

Psychotropic drugs, despite being effective from the psychiatric point of view, are discouraged in this type of cases because they can generate suspicion and suspicion on the part of the patient, and this usually leads to the abandonment of the therapeutic process. In that case, if it is strictly necessary, the administration of medications should be limited to short periods of time.

Anxiolytic psychodrugs are usually administered, for example Diazepam, in cases in which the patient suffers anxiety or agitation. Antipsychotic type medication, for example Haloperidol, may be indicated if the affected person has psychotic thoughts that may be potentially dangerous for her or for other people.

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.

Paranoid Personality Disorder ¦ Treatment and Symptoms (March 2024).