Paranoid personality disorder: how does the paranoid look and is it possible to cure it?

Paranoid personality disorder( according to modern terminology, paranoid disorder) is an abnormal disturbance of the psyche, which has a strong effect on the behavior of the individual. All those who suffer from such a disorder are usually called paranoid.

The nosological category of paranoid psychopathy is within the framework of ICD-10 - F 60.0.This disorder has a huge number of characteristics characterizing it, the peak of development of which is achieved in the age of adolescence, can affect both male and female representatives.

The main symptoms of paranoid personality disorder:

• unreasonable suspicion and discontent towards others;
• an abnormal reaction to criticism from the outside;
• is not a trusting relationship to close people, work partners;
• is too strong sensitivity to the failures of both its own and other people;
• instability to psychoemotional loads, psychosis and depression;
• not accepting apologies from other people who have offended paranoiacs;
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• irresponsibility to one's behavior and public duties;
• provocative inclinations, conflict and idealization of oneself as an individual;
• is a negative susceptibility to people and the world as a whole;
• excessive sense of its uniqueness and significance.

Also distinguish the distinctive personality traits that are characteristic of people who are paranoid:

• too high self-esteem;
• pedantry;
• no plans and goals for a later life;
• high sense of anxiety;
• provoking conflict situations without an excuse;
• thinking stereotypes;
• aggressive inclinations;
• is emotional;
• negative perception of the environment;
• high suspicion.

Characteristic picture of the patient's behavior

Since infancy, such people have unilateral interests, attachments, they are stubborn and straightforward in their statements.

Hyperactivity and reassessment of one's abilities generates a thirst to be a leader, to assert itself, even if the surrounding people resist. People with a personality disorder of the paranoid type are very easy to offend, they are vindictive, it is difficult to perceive disagreement with their point of view. Resentment they do not forgive anyone, even if it is insignificant.

To people from their environment, paranoid psychopaths often feel disdainful and look down on them. Characteristic signs of paranoid reactions are completely formed in such patients by 20-25 years. With age, all the distinctive features of their character are amplified.

Causes and etiology of the disease

The psychodynamic concept, as the cause of the development of paranoid personality disorder, speaks of violations in the upbringing of a child from early childhood. In the development of such a disease, relations with relatives who in their childhood require too much from their child play an important role, especially if the father does not take due participation in his upbringing and is cruel, and the mother - over-takes care of the baby, but at the same time rejects.

As a result of inflated demands from parents, the child becomes unfriendly and does not trust the surrounding people, accumulates negative emotions( irritation, anger) and projects it on the weaker.

There is also a theory that paranoia is transmitted genetically. Those specialists who developed evolutionary psychology, argue that paranoid psychopathy is characterized by a recurring pattern of not trusting people and unjustified confidence that they are always deceiving and harming.

Such people conceal their grievances in order to retaliate quickly and unexpectedly, or start attacking an alleged enemy in advance. This repetitive pattern of behavior is often characteristic of animals that are weaker in the hierarchy.

Aggressiveness and alertness can be acquired in the process of adaptation to society, when from other people there is any threat. The division into "ours and strangers" creates a negative stereotypical thinking, manifested in extreme forms of paranoid psychopaths.

Symptomatics and clinical picture of the disease

It is practically impossible for people with paranoiac psychopathy to maintain good relationships with family and others. The reason for this is the inability to cede to others, the thirst for everything is the best and does not take into account the opinions of others. Their decision is often categorical and not subject to appeal.

There is such a paranoiac feature, which is practically not noticeable in everyday life. They not only do not care about what is happening in life, but also to problems with their bodies. Diagnosis of even a serious illness is perceived indifferently, without loss of mood and fear of death. Basically, this is the reason for refusing the medications and recommendations of the attending physician.

Constant comparison of themselves and others, their acceptance as enemies, paranoiacs is accompanied by a feature such as excessive vigilance towards people. There are thoughts that the environment towards them is biased, not respectful, constantly envious and tries to humiliate, offend, undermine the authority.

The most characteristic feature of paranoiacs is the propensity to form supervalued ideas, which they ultimately master. Such ideas determine the model of human behavior: a paranoid personality does not control his thoughts, but on the contrary, thoughts take over and control it.

Classification of the paranoid disorder

Given the kind of overvalued ideas that appear in the patient, the following types of paranoid personalities stand out:

• inventors;
• jealous;
• fanatics;
• clamshells.

Also paranoid psychopaths can be:

1. Expansive - when a person is active, strong, behaves defiantly and aggressively. Such people from infancy lie, take revenge on others and complain about them, while not noticing their shortcomings;
2. Sensitive - when a person is weak, passive, very touchy and secretive. They are shy, honest, analyze themselves and criticize, so they often feel their inferiority. Standards, which they themselves define, overestimating the bar, are incommensurable with their capabilities. This leads to the fact that there is a feeling of inferiority, often without any justification.

Border violations of

There are such mental illnesses, the clinical manifestation of which is characteristic of a paranoid personality disorder: paranoid schizophrenia and delusional disorder.

Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by a disruption in the processes of thinking, expressed in the wrong perception of the surrounding world.

A patient with this diagnosis is characterized by a condition accompanied by paranoid delusions: persecution, greatness, sometimes other delusional ideas.

Auditory hallucinations are observed more often than tactile, olfactory and gustatory. There are volitional and speech disorders, as well as emotional disorders, which are less pronounced. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia are prone to suicide.

Delusional disorder also refers to mental illness characterized by a well-systematized, dominant nonsense, but unlike paranoid schizophrenia devoid of freakiness. With this disorder, there may be nonsense of persecution, greatness, jealousy and other forms of it.

Diagnostic criteria

The diagnosis is based on the patient's clinical picture of the disease. Also, the doctor looks at the characteristic signs of disharmony in the actions and personal characteristics of the patient, affecting all the components of his life.

There are deviations of emotional character, thinking, lack of control over one's own actions, incorrect behavior with respect to others, etc.

Also, doctors diagnose differentiate paranoid disorder from paranoid schizophrenia, delusional disorder, as well as psychopathic abnormalities that cause the use of alcohol, narcotic and other psychotropic substances.

How to help the paranoid?

Treatment of a paranoid personality disorder will be more effective only if the patient or his relatives seek help as early as possible.

Complex treatment helps to achieve the best results. Patients undergo drug therapy, which includes the reception of individually selected, taking into account individual characteristics of a person, sedatives and antidepressants, and psychotherapy sessions are prescribed.

Often, people with a paranoid personality disorder develop depression, a strong sense of anxiety, panic fears. In practice, the method of psychoanalysis is very effective in getting rid of paranoid disorders.

The course of psychotherapy can be different in duration, because its effectiveness depends not only on the professional of his case, but also on the degree of neglect of mental deviation, as well as the desire of the patient to be cured.

It happens that the paranoid does not accept his diagnosis and is categorically against the appeal to specialists. In the process of communicating with a psychotherapist, he manifests his aggression. However, during the course of psychotherapy, a person tries to get rid of the desire to create contrived conflict situations and remove aggression.

In addition to psychoanalysis, cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy is applied to the patient, helping to improve their conflict-freeness and control emotions. During therapy, a person learns to correctly take the actions of others and their worldview.

The prognosis for paranoid is disappointing. As we grow older, the rigidity of thinking is aggravated, paranoiac tendencies acquire pronounced traits of character. However, if a long time to carry out the necessary treatment, the inclinations of a person become less pronounced and the result can be kept long enough.