Paranoid Personality Disorder

Main Concepts:

Notable Features:

High Yield:

Other:

Paranoid personality disorder (PDD) is characterized by a pervasive pattern of distrust and suspicion, beginning in early adulthood and occurring in a variety of settings (no specific paranoid delusions).

Patients:

• Believe they are being exploited and deceived by others

• Interpret benign comments and events as threats, and react angrily

• Bear grudges

• Question the loyalty of partners without justification

Other characteristics include:

• Oversensitivity to perceived criticism

• Tendency towards aggression or defensiveness in response to perceived attacks

• Reluctance to confide in others

PDD often results in social isolation and strained interpersonal relationships, and can make it difficult to establish rapport and a therapeutic alliance with these patients.

Unlike delusional disorder, where delusions are specific, fixed, and unshakeable (held with delusional intensity), individuals with PPD have generalized suspicion without distinct delusions.

Take a non-defensive stance with these patients, and carefully explain things to them.