Paranoid Personality Disorder: Signs, Causes and Treatment

There are a number of mental disorders and conditions that may affect the psyche of a person, due to various reasons including hormonal changes, environmental factors and even genetic conditions. Paranoid Personality Disorder is one such condition that gives rise to eccentric behavioral patterns. This may make the patient seem odd or even strange to others. Here are the signs, causes and various forms of treatment available for this condition.

Symptoms and Signs

Most of the patients suffering from this disorder are completely convinced that there is nothing wrong with their behavior and everyone around them are conniving against them with ulterior motives of bringing them down. This will make them highly suspicious individuals with intense trust issues. They also become angry and violent very soon and usually do not have a justified reason for such temper tantrums. These patients will also be detached and isolated socially, with hardly any friends and relationships. They will also have trouble seeing their own problems and flaws, which can keep them from having meaningful relationships.

Causes

The cause of this disorder is not known as yet. There is much ongoing research in this field. It is widely believed that this disorder is born due to a combination of biological factors and other environmental factors that may have conditioned the brain in a negative manner. Chemical and hormonal imbalances are known to be at the core of many such disorders. Also, it may be seen in people who come from a family of Schizophrenic patients. Trauma experienced during one's childhood can also lead to the onset of this disorder.

Treatment

One of the most effective forms of treatment for this disorder includes therapy. Talk therapy or CBT which is also known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a form of discussion based therapy that can help the patient in talking about his or her feelings. These are then analysed in a clinical setting with the intervention of a trained psychiatrist or psychologist who will help the patient in pointing out abnormal behavior. This kind of therapy also helps in reaching the root cause of the issue that may have caused this condition in the first place. By doing so, there is a better chance of treating this cause and thus changing the attitude of the patient. This will help in steering the patient towards more normal behavior in the long run. This kind of therapy will have to take place over a long period of time before the results begin to show up in the day to day living and functioning of the patient. Anti-depressants and anti psychotics may also be prescribed.