Paranoia is the feeling of being threatened or in danger without any evidence or symptom. People who are prone to paranoia can find a lot of room to fear and worry. In addition, paranoia is usually not limited to just one subject. Therefore, people with paranoid personality disorder see many things around them as threats and dangers.

What is Paranoid Personality Disorder (Paranoid)?

Paranoid personality disorder in colloquial term. It is included in the Cluster A or eccentric personality disorders group among personality disorders. Unfounded and persistent suspicion, distrust towards everyone, and the exaggeration of paranoid delusions are important indicators that paranoia has evolved into paranoid personality disorder.

People with paranoid personality disorder see many things around them as threatening and dangerous. These so-called paranoid people experience chronic delusions (paranoid thoughts), intense insecurity, and anxiety. It is known that many patients begin to show their first symptoms of paranoia during adolescence and young adulthood.

What Are the Symptoms and Characteristics of Paranoid Personality Disorder?

Symptoms are as follows:

• Being reluctant to share anything because they think that any information/secret about themselves will be misused.
• Feeling of excessive distrust of others from an early age
• Perceiving harmless or innocent events as threats
• Preoccupation with thoughts that other people are trying to deceive or harm them
• Holding a long and lasting grudge
• Thinking that your romantic partner is unfaithful for no reason

For the diagnosis of paranoia, it is not correct to diagnose a person by only looking at these items. The opinion of clinical psychologists and the approval of psychiatrists are required for the diagnosis of paranoia.

How is the Progress?

Paranoia is a progressive personality disorder. Its progress is as follows:

1. Paranoid delusions and thoughts are very resistant to change as it is very difficult to falsify.
2. People with paranoid personality disorder may engage in violent behavior when provoked or when they feel threatened.
3. When unfalsifiable paranoid thoughts and aggression combine, the belief that the world is dangerous increases.
4. Other psychological disorders (eg, anti-social disorder, psychosis, affective disorders) accompanying paranoid personality disorder may increase a person's tendency to violence.
5. Individuals with paranoid personality traits think obsessively and repetitively about the world they see as dangerous, hostile and threatening (rumination). They also become increasingly sensitive to these situations.

Treatment of Paranoid Personality Disorder

If paranoia is not treated, it is a progressive disease as described above. Therefore, it must be treated. More than one method is used for the treatment of paranoia. Therefore, although it is a difficult disease, it should not be thought that this condition is incurable.

Paranoid personality disorder are as follows:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is considered the most effective method in its treatment. With psychotherapy; Patients presenting with the diagnosis of paranoid disorder can develop their trust in others, some social behaviors, communication and empathy skills. In the long run, the tendency to blame others and to refer to the outside in every negativity decreases.

Drug Treatments

Although there is no drug used for paranoid disorder, antiseptic drugs are used for other disorders in the same group. Therefore, antiseptic drugs are used in paranoia to relieve the complaints in the active period.

What are the Goals of Treatment?

The goals of paranoia treatment are as follows:

• Developing confidence in others
• Accepting your own feelings and vulnerabilities
• Expressing the situation in words in times of stress rather than useless strategies such as scaring or avoiding others
• Increase self-worth