Psychological disorder is a disorganization of the central nervous system work. A personality disorder is sustained template of standing and conduct that differs from templates that are regarded as normal by a human’s culture. Symptoms of any personality disorder stay the same in various situations and become apparent by early matureness. These symptoms induce anguish or make it hard for a person to act normally in public. (Claridge, 60) The aim of this paper is to research the paranoid personality disorder, its symptoms, environmental and biological causes and possible treatment methods, and finds out the prognosis and prospects of such treatment.
Symptoms of paranoid personality disorder
People with paranoid personality disorder have many common symptoms. A general mistrust and suspicion of other people, such that their reasons are explained as malicious, beginning by early matureness and represents in a diversity of contexts. Still, generally, people with PPD stay in touch with actuality; they don't have hallucinations as patients with insanity. Even so, their mistrust that others are going to harm or exploit them are so catchall and intensive that people with such disorder often become very secluded. At the same time, they believe too strongly in their own abilities and ideas.
Consequently, such people have inflated self-esteem, there is rigidity of mind and a penchant for suspicion. They avoid normal interaction with society. Patients with paranoid personality disorder could become violent because they feel unsafe in such a threatening for them, as they think, world. Harmless comments, innocuous jokes and much other everyday communication are often taken as injuries.
They importunately question a prompting and reliability of others, people with PPD are not prepossessed to share their thoughts. They have a dread of the possibility that such data could be used against them. Consequently, they become hostile and surly, disputatious or arrogant. Their annoyance often draws malevolent reactions from other people around them. These repulses become “argument” in the mind of a person with PDD that others are, indeed, enemy to them. They have little understanding of the effects of their position and conduct on their as a general rule unfortunate interactions with other people. The blame for such failed relationships with others, people with paranoid personality disorder impose on anyone apart from them, they do not see a direct involvement in this.
Paranoid suspicions transfer into all spheres of life. People overburdened with PPD are frequently sure that their sexual partners are treacherous. Complimenting a person with paranoid personality disorder on, for example, hairstyle or car could be taken as a hint at their materialism or egoism. This state is very close to the accentuation and is closely intertwined with the concept of "borderline", but the main feature is the social exclusion.
So, the most common symptoms of paranoid personality disorder are:
General suspiciousness and mistrust of other people
Questioning implicit motives of others
Feelings of confidence, without justification or evidence, that others are going to harm or exploit them
Social seclusion
Aggressiveness and animosity
Almost no sense of humor, vision of hidden subtexts, where they are not (Haycock, 1119)
Biological and environmental causes
No one knows for sure what causes paranoid personality disorder, but there are hints that family factors may in some cases affect the elaboration of the disorder. There seem to be more cases of paranoid personality disorder in families where there are one or more members, who suffer from such mental illnesses as schizophrenia or delusional disorder.
Other potential interpersonal reasons have been suggested. For example, some therapists propose a thought that the behavior that is typical for people with PPD might be learned. They suggest that such conduct might be tracked back to childhood events and experiences. According to this point of view, children who are subjected to adult wrath and anger without possibility to predict the outbreaks and without a chance to escape or control them elaborate paranoid way of thinking in an attempt to manage with the stress. PPD might emerge when this way of thinking becomes a part of the person’s identity as adulthood treatment. (Haycock, 1118)
So, even though significantly, nobody knows the cause of PPD, there are two versions. The first argues that the PPD has a genetic predisposition, the second - PPD can occur as a result of a difficult childhood and misunderstandings with parents. Very often it is distant, abusive father and excessive custodian, but rejecting the child, mother. As a result of the increased demands, the child produces an unfriendly and distrustful attitude to all others with the accumulation of negative feelings.
Treatment
There are only two effective methods of treatment PPD. The problem of treatment of paranoid disorder is connected with human reluctance to admit that he/she is really sick. Such people tend to be confident that they have everything in order and they do not need treatment. (Triebwasser, 796)
The main method of treatment of PPD is psychotherapy. There could be used psychoanalytic therapy, deep psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and other methods. Group therapy could not be used here, because patients mistrust almost everyone, even family members. Forming an alliance between the therapist and the patient is time consuming and fraught with serious difficulties due to suspicion and distrust of the patient, suffering from paranoid personality disorder. After establishing enough trust relationship, the therapist, depending on the chosen method, helps the patient to take the feelings, projected on others, or develop more effective patterns of behavior in complex situations. (Haycock, 1120)
The other method of treatment is medication. It is not so effective, but it also could help. Because of the increased suspicion, patients with paranoid personality disorder negatively perceive prescription of drugs, do not take the prescribing drugs, or report the physician about the lack of efficacy of drug therapy.
The drugs are usually given for short courses in the deteriorating mental state. Tranquilizers are used if there is an alarming agitation, if sleep disorders - sleeping pills, if delusional ideas - antipsychotics. The prognosis of paranoid personality disorder is relatively unfavorable. With age, compounded by rigid thinking, paranoid ideas become more pronounced, however, with adequate long-term therapy, there might be quite stable compensation.
Treatment of this condition is a difficult and lengthy process. Correct and timely matched psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment, as well as new approaches to the treatment, such as art therapy, sports therapy, color-therapy, significantly improve the quality of life of the patient and help quickly and more efficiently carry out the traditional treatment.
Summing up, suffice it to say that on examining of the peculiarities of this disease it is possible to assess on the prospects and the effectiveness of treatment, as well as the possibility of preventing the disease. In psychiatry and clinical psychology such personality disorder is considered as a form of mental illness, as a behavioral trend with substantial departing from the accepted social and cultural norms. Such a condition is accompanied by certain violations in the actions, thinking, feeling, affecting the image of the patient's life and brings considerable inconvenience to families and other people.
The symptoms for all people, suffering from PPD, are the same. These are: general suspiciousness and mistrust of other people, questioning implicit motives of others, feelings of confidence, without justification or evidence, that others are going to harm or exploit them, social seclusion, aggressiveness and animosity, almost no sense of humor and vision of hidden subtexts, where they are not.
Although no one knows for sure, there could be two main causes of paranoid personality disorder - problems in communication with parents in childhood and a genetic predisposition. The reasons for paranoid personality disorder depend on the individual peculiarities and the characteristics of a person, any condition can lead to this problem In any case, this disease cannot be prevented. Moreover, this illness is very hard to treat, because of peculiar symptoms of the patients. The process of treatment is long and could only reduce symptoms and improve relationships with others. Full recovery is unlikely, but still possible.
For those, living close to the paranoid, it is important to tune in to the fact that they need a lot of patience. It is important to be patient, not to over-express emotions. The conversation with such a person should be usual, as well as with a healthy person. The tone of the conversation must always be calm and confident. But the most important thing - to visit a specialist, who can help develop a treatment strategy.
Reference List
Claridge, G., & Davis, C. (2003). Personality and psychological disorders. London: Arnold.
Haycock, D. A. (2012). Paranoid Personality Disorder. In K. Key (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1116-1121). Detroit: Gale.
Triebwasser, J., Chemerinski, E., Roussos, P., & Siever, L. J. (2013). Paranoid personality disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 27(6), 795-805. doi:http://dx.doi.org/101521pedi201226055
