Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by an excess of distrust on the part of the individual and suspicion in relation to others, in which his intentions are, in most cases, interpreted as malicious.
Usually, this disorder appears in early adulthood, and can be caused by hereditary factors and childhood experiences. Treatment is carried out with psychotherapy sessions and in some cases it may be necessary to resort to medication administration.
What symptoms
According to the DSM, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the characteristic symptoms of a person with Paranoid Personality Disorder are:
- Suspicious, without foundation, of being exploited, mistreated or deceived by other people; Concerns about doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or colleagues; Has difficulty trusting others, due to the fear of giving information that could be malicious used against you; Interprets hidden meanings, of humiliating or threatening character in benign observations or events; Holds a grudge persistently, being relentless with insults, injuries or slips; Perceives attacks on your character or reputation, which are not visible by others, reacting quickly with anger or counterattack; suspect frequently and without justification as to your partner's loyalty.
Meet other personality disorders.
Possible causes
It is not known for sure what are the causes of this personality disorder, but it is thought that it may be related to hereditary factors, since paranoid personality disorder is more common in people who have relatives with schizophrenia or delusional disorder.
In addition, childhood experiences may also have an influence on the development of this disorder.
How the treatment is done
In most cases, people who suffer from paranoid personality disorder feel that they do not need treatment and see no reason to do so.
Treatment consists of conducting psychotherapy sessions, which can be challenging for the psychologist or psychiatrist, since these people have a hard time trusting other people, including the therapist.
