Paranoid Personality Disorder Therapy.
Paranoid Personality Disorder Therapy.
Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) entails unwarranted tendencies among individuals to interpret the behaviors or actions of others as deliberately demeaning or threatening (Vyas & Khan, 2016). This disorder clearly manifests itself during the adulthood and includes the omnipresent development of a sense of distrust as well as unjustified suspicion that results into persistent misinterpretation of the intentions of other people as being malicious. Persons with the disorder commonly fail to recognize their negative feelings towards others and generally do not lose touch with reality. They may ultimately fail to confide in individuals even after they prove to be trustworthy, as they fear getting betrayed or exploited. In most of the times, they tend to misinterpret harmless behaviors and comments from people and may build up and harbor unfounded resentment for an extended length of time (Lee, 2017).
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Causes and Symptoms
The primary cause of PPD remains unknown. However, the disorder commonly manifests itself in families that have a history of psychotic disorders like delusional disorder and schizophrenia. This suggests that genetic factors may be involved. It can also result from adverse childhood experiences emanating from threatening domestic atmospheres (Vyas & Khan, 2016). The common symptoms of the disorder include expectations to get exploited by others, increased suspicion, doubting the loyalty of others, social isolation, detachment, hostility as well as the inability to cooperate/collaborate with others. Individuals with PPD may often act sarcastic, which leads into the elicitation of hostile responses from other individuals and thus acting as a confirmation of the suspicion (Lee, 2017). They also have difficulties in admitting their problems.
Treatments
The treatment approaches of PPD have proven to be very useful in managing the paranoia, but they may sometimes be challenging to maintain as the patient remains suspicious of the doctor. Therefore, it is always crucial for the doctor or therapist to establish a strong therapeutic relationship while sharing the diagnosis report and engaging the client (Vyas & Khan, 2016). First, I should seek to create rapport with the client as well as to understand his or her strengths and weaknesses. Further, I would listen to him/her and avoid asking too many questions. I would also avoid making comments but rather reformulate what the client says from time to time to capture the diagnostic information. I would further avoid looking surprised or getting offended whenever they say something. This way, the client will develop a feeling of trust as he/she would feel accepted by me. As a result, he/she would also adhere/follow the treatment plan.
Medications
In most of the cases, medications are never recommended for PPD patients as they lead to the development of extreme suspicion and make the patient withdraw from therapy. However, they are essential in managing specific conditions of the disorder such as delusions or anxiety. For severe anxiety, anti-anxiety agents like diazepam get recommended. Also, antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol or thioridazine can be appropriate when the client decompensates into delusional thinking that may lead to harming others or self-harm (Völlm et al., 2011). Markedly, medications should get utilized for the shortest interval possible.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy remains the most beneficial approach in managing PPD. Clients may contain deep-rooted problems with their interpersonal functioning and the necessitating intense therapy (Dixon-Gordon, Turner, & Chapman, 2011). As mentioned earlier, a strong therapeutic relationship provides the most promising outcomes. Notably, individuals with PPD hardly initiate treatment and commonly terminate it prematurely. Also, the establishment of the therapist-client relationship needs care and remains complicated to maintain (Dixon-Gordon et al., 2011). The therapist may be required to administer unending therapy since most of the PPD symptoms get experienced over a lifetime.
Conclusion
Paranoid personality disorder substantially affects the normal functioning of a person. Patients should always try to accept and maintain treatment. If they do, they find it less challenging to keep jobs and healthy relationships. Consequently, therapists should strive to establish a robust therapeutic relationship to guarantee that the patients benefit and maintain the treatment plan.
References
Dixon-Gordon, K.L., Turner, B. J., & Chapman, A. L. (2011). Psychotherapy for
personality disorders. International review of psychiatry, 23(3), 282-302.
Lee, R. J. (2017). Mistrustful and Misunderstood: A Review of Paranoid Personality Disorder.
Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 4(2), 151-165.
Völlm, B. A., Farooq, S., Jones, H., Ferriter, M., Gibbon, S., Stoffers, J., & Lieb, K. (2011).
Pharmacological interventions for paranoid personality disorder. The Cochrane Database
of Systematic Reviews, 11(5), 19-32.
Vyas, A., & Khan, M. (2016). Paranoid Personality Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry
Residents Journal, 11(1), 9-11.
Paranoid Personality Disorder Therapy.
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