![]() ![]() PPD would emerge when this type of thinking becomes part of the individual’s personality as adulthood approaches. ![]() According to this view, children who are exposed to adult anger and rage with no way to predict the outbursts and no way to escape or control them develop paranoid ways of thinking in an effort to cope with the stress. They suggest that such behavior might be traced back to childhood experiences. For example, some therapists believe that the behavior that characterizes PPD might be learned. Other possible interpersonal causes have been proposed. There seem to be more cases of PPD in families that have one or more members who suffer from such psychotic disorders as schizophrenia or delusional disorder. No one knows what causes paranoid personality disorder, although there are hints that familial factors may influence the development of the disorder in some cases. The disorder, however, usually lasts a lifetime. If a mental health care provider is able to gain the trust of a patient with PPD, it may be possible to help the patient deal with the threats that they perceive. If the patient can be persuaded to cooperate-something that is not easy to achieve- low-dose medications are recommended for treating such specific problems as anxiety, but only for limited periods of time. It is not unusual for patients to leave therapy when they perceive some malicious intent on the therapist’s part. Individual counseling seems to work best but it requires a great deal of patience and skill on the part of the therapist. If a life crisis, a family member or the judicial system succeeds in getting a patient with PPD to seek help, therapy is often a challenge. ![]() They distrust mental health care providers just as they distrust nearly everyone else. They do not usually walk into a therapist’s office on their own. In addition, patients with this disorder are known for their tendency to become violent.ĭespite all the unpleasant aspects of a paranoid lifestyle, however, it is still not sufficient to drive many people with PPD to seek therapy. It is not unusual for them to sue people they feel have wronged them. They can be confrontational, aggressive and disputatious. Their fear, and the threats they perceive in the innocent statements and actions of others, often contributes to frequent complaining or unfriendly withdrawal or aloofness. They are always looking for and finding evidence that others are against them. They never seem to let down their defenses. People suffering from PPD are very difficult to deal with. They often assume their sexual partner is “cheating” on them. If they marry or become otherwise attached to someone, the relationship is often characterized by pathological jealousy and attempts to control their partner. They do not fit in and they do not make good “team players.” Interactions with others are characterized by wariness and not infrequently by hostility. As a result of their constant concern about the lack of trustworthiness of others, patients with this disorder often have few intimate friends or close human contacts. They suspect strangers, and even people they know, of planning to harm or exploit them when there is no good evidence to support this belief. Such people are unable or afraid to form close relationships with others. Whether the patterns of distrust and suspicion begin in childhood or in early adulthood, they quickly come to dominate the lives of those suffering from PPD. Even friendly gestures are often interpreted as being manipulative or malevolent. In fact, the central characteristic of people with PPD is a high degree of mistrustfulness and suspicion when interacting with others. People with PPD do not trust other people. PPD patients are not psychotic but their conviction that others are trying to “get them” or humiliate them in some way often leads to hostility and social isolation. Most of the time, they are in touch with reality, except for their misinterpretation of others’ motives and intentions. The disorder, whose name comes from the Greek word for “madness,” is one of ten personality disorders described in the 2000 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (the fourth edition, text revision or DSM-IV-TR), the standard guidebook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders.ĭespite the pervasive suspicions they have of others, patients with PPD are not delusional (except in rare, brief instances brought on by stress ). These beliefs are steadfastly maintained in the absence of any real supporting evidence. People with paranoid personality disorder (PPD) have long-term, widespread and unwarranted suspicions that other people are hostile, threatening or demeaning.
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