Paranoid Personality Disorder

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

**Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)** is a mental health condition characterized by a pattern of distrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason to be suspicious. Because individuals with paranoid personality disorder suspect that others are planning to exploit, deceive, or harm them, they are always on the look-out for possible insults, slights or threats.

## Signs & Symptoms

Individuals with PPD are always on guard, believing that others are constantly trying to demean, harm or threaten them. These generally unfounded beliefs, as well as their habits of blame and distrust, interfere with their ability to form close or workable relationships. Individuals with PPD severely limit their social lives.

Individuals with PPD may:

* Doubt the commitment, loyalty or trustworthiness of others, believing others are exploiting or deceiving them.
* Be reluctant to confide in others or reveal personal information because they're afraid the information will be used against them.
* Be unforgiving and hold grudges.
* Be hypersensitive and take criticism poorly.
* Read hidden meanings in the innocent remarks or casual looks of others.
* Perceive attacks on their character that aren't apparent to others.
* Have persistent suspicions, without justified reason, that their spouse or romantic partner(s) is being unfaithful.
* Be cold and distant in their relationships with others and might become controlling and jealous to avoid being betrayed.
* Not see their role in problems or conflict, believing they're always right.
* Have difficulty relaxing.
* Be hostile, stubborn and argumentative.

Individuals with paranoid personality disorder typically start experiencing symptoms and showing signs of the condition in their late teens or early adult years.

### Diagnosis

For doctors to diagnose paranoid personality disorder, individuals must be persistently distrustful and suspicious of others, as shown by at least four of the following:

* They suspect, without sufficient reason, that others are exploiting, injuring or deceiving them.
* They are preoccupied with unjustified doubts about reliability of their friends and coworkers.
* They are reluctant to confide in others lest the information be used against them.
* They misinterpret harmless remarks or events as having hidden belittling, hostile, or threatening meaning.
* They hold grudges if they think they have been insulted, injured or slighted.
* They are quick to think that their character or reputation has been attacked and to react angrily or to counterattack.
* They repeatedly suspect that their spouse or partner is unfaithful, although they have no sufficient reason to suspect it.

Also, symptoms must have begun by early adulthood.

## Causes

It isn't known the exact cause of PPD, but it likely involves a combination of environmental and biological factors.

Researchers have found that childhood emotional neglect, physical neglect and supervision neglect play a significant role in the development of PPD in adolescence and early adulthood.

Researchers used to think there was likely a genetic link among schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder, and PPD, but more studies have revealed that this connection isn't as strong as they once thought.

## References

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9784-paranoid-personality-disorder

https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/mental-health-disorders/personality-disorders/paranoid-personality-disorder