How to Get Rid of Paranoid Personality Disorder - PPD

Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition characaterized by extreme distrust, sensitive and suspicion of others. They have a marked sense of self-importance, but easily feel shame and humiliation.

Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a distrust of others and a constant suspicion that people around you have sinister motives. People with this disorder tend to have excessive trust in their own knowledge and abilities and usually avoid close relationships with others. They search for hidden meanings in everything and read hostile intentions into the actions of others. They are quick to challenge the loyalties of friends and loved ones and often appear cold and distant to others. They usually shift blame to others and tend to carry long grudges.

Paranoid personality disorder may first appear in childhood and adolescence with solitariness, poor peer relationships, hypersensitivity, peculiar thoughts, and idiosyncratic fantasies. There is some evidence of increased prevalence of PPD in individuals with relatives who have a delusional disorder. The prevalence of PPD is estimated to be 2% to 10% in outpatient mental health clinics. In clinical samples, this personality disorder appears to be more common in males. PPD must be distinguished from symptoms developed in association with chronic substance use, e.g. cocaine.

Paranoid personality disorder is a condition which is an advanced form of the paranoid thoughts. Perhaps, the illness is present since long and you are feeling the symptoms since adolescence. If one person is diagnosed with Paranoid personality disorder, it is more likely that he do not trust any other person. These feeling are every time exaggerated and unwarranted.

Cause of Paranoid personality disorder

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.

Diagnostic Criteria of Paranoid Personality Disorder

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:
1. suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her
2. is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates
3. is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her
4. reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events
5. persistently bears grudges, i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights
6. perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack
7. has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner
Does not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, or another Psychotic Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition.

Some of the common traits of the person suffering with Paranoid Personality Disorder are as follows:

• They are self-sufficient and have strong sense of autonomy.
• They have high degree of control over others.
• They are rigid and critical to others and their opinion
• They cannot collaborate and work together
• They face very high difficulty in accepting criticism.

How Is Paranoid Personality Disorder Diagnosed?

There is a need to perform an evaluation of the complete medical and psychiatric history. It also sometimes need physical exam. There is no pathological or lab oriented test for diagnosing laboratory tests. Although there are some of the diagnostic tests which can rule out other physical illness.

The Course of Paranoid Personality Disorder

It can appear with some initial level of symptoms in the early childhood and adolescence shown as symptoms like staying alone, low peer relationships, cannot cope with social atmosphere, hypersensitivity, and peculiar thoughts. The kids suffering from this attract lot of bullying and teasing due to their eccentric nature.

People suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder cannot get along with people well and they cannot build close friends or relatives. The people suffering often always act guarded and covered. They behave very secretively and lack any soft/tender feelings. They display a wide range of feelings and expressions majorly spread around hostility, stubborn, and sarcastic expressions. They have a combat oriented and suspicious nature.

Feature of Detached Cluster of Personality Disorders

Suspiciousness, social withdrawal, intimacy avoidance, inability to feel pleasure and restricted emotional expression are some of the major features of detached personality disorder. The core feature of schizotypal cluster is detachment. They are socially and emotionally withdrawn and always go for lonely life.

Belief that the suffering person is being victimized by others is the most differentiating traits of a Paranoid behaviour. They are unwilling to forgive the insults. Minor has major long lasting hostility impact.

Treating the Paranoid Personality Disorder

Treatment of Paranoid Personality Disorder is generally long term and it involves psychotherapy based sitting with the therapist. They can prescribe the atypical or anti-psychotic medicines as well to reduce the symptoms.

The anti-anxiety agents, like diazepam, if good for people with severe anxiety affecting their daily life. Anti-psychotic medicines, such as Thioridazine are good for people who are severely affected and can do self-harm or harm to others.

The self help based support communities are not of much help in this disorder since people do not trust anyone and they think that others are there to harm them. Presence of same type of people in the group can be very troubling.

Few individuals with a Cluster A personality disorder are particularly inclined to seek treatment. They are often forced into therapy by family or the legal system. However, life crises can precipitate self-referral. The challenge then is to engage clients with PPD in a collaborative working relationship based upon trust.

There are many types of help available for the different personality disorders. Treatment may include individual, group, or family psychotherapy. Medications, prescribed by a patient's physician, may also be helpful in relieving some of the symptoms of personality disorders, including problems with anxiety and perceptions.

Recommended medication for clients with PPD involves a combination of low-dose neuroleptics and SSRIs. However, since individuals with PPD will distrust medication, respond quite negatively to unpleasant side effects, and may well be offended by the suggestion that they take antipsychotic medication, it is likely to be more effective to delay considering medication until these clients ask about it for specific target symptoms.

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