Paranoid Personality Disorder or Paranoia? [Causes, Signs, and Solutions]

Paranoid personality disorder or paranoia? Paranoia is simply a trait. But when does it reach the level of paranoid personality disorder? Here to answer your questions is triple board-certified neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho.

The education doesn't end here. Discover more from Dr. Judy and our other psychologists and psychiatrists at our Live Expert Panel! Here's how:

In this video, MedCircle Host Kyle Kittleson and Dr. Judy discuss...

- What is paranoid, actually—from the perspective of a neuropsychologist?
- What are the potential mental health causes? [PPD, anything else?]
- What are the myths/misconceptions of PPD or extreme paranoia?
- How can extreme paranoia or PPD affect someone’s relationships?
- What can someone with PPD do to improve their relationships?
- What about the supporter on the “other side” of the relationship?
- How can someone spot the signs or behaviors that signal professional intervention may be needed?

Watch more mental health & psychology videos on every personality disorder and more at MedCircle:

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD)
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD)
Avoidant personality disorder (AVPD)
Paranoid personality disorder (PPD)
Schizotypal personality disorder (STPD)
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)
Obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Dependent personality disorder (DPD)
Related: dissociative identity disorder (DID) formerly known as multiple personality disorder

#PersonalityDisorders​ #MentalHealth​ #MedCircle​

*MedCircle is not a referral service and does not recommend, endorse, discourage, screen, or approve any providers, medical procedures, products, or services; nor does MedCircle provide medical advice of any kind. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your healthcare provider. You must talk with your healthcare provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. Only your healthcare provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you.

[MedCircle]

This was just one video from the MedCircle all-day Mental Health Summit.

[saratonnan]

Getting a diagnosis was a relief. No more wondering if or what is wrong & finally able to tackle issues head-on.

[BlackMetalAlchemy]

A psychedelic therapy session brought to my awareness the fact that most of my life strugles where based, or pointing to PPD. My whole life made sense instantly. Developed as a coping mechanism developed to survive early childhood abuse. I've been for 20 years sorounded by invisible walls that would prevent almost any sort of success and wellbeing. When I saw this with my own eyes made so much sense, it shaped everything, my thinking, my art, my dreams, my future... after noticing this just yesterday night, now I see this so clear that I can simply take a second, take another look at the world and understand it with a different lense. I haven't gotten a "proffessional diagnosis" but you just feel when something finally make so much sense that puts all the pieces together, all the inner battles, the problems, the resentments, even my esthetical and art tastes and unconscious tendencies... having been able to label this has been a turning point in my life. If what you hear in this video makes a bit too much sense to you, please don't look away, you might be able to interact with life so much easier without the need of adding 30 layers of a protective shell of self devating and attacking every single event you experience. Imagine being able to use those mental resources for your personal growth and life advantage instead of to push the world away from you.

[nirmaangodamkar]

I'm so fkn happy I got diagnosed honestly. The episodes usually made me feel like rock bottom. But once I had a name for this rock bottom, i realise that the only way I could go from there, is up. Iam now aware of my mental hygiene and what it takes to clean and maintain it. I'm going to start my journey toward being more positive and share my experience once I'm better for the people who struggle just like I did.
Have a nice day you guys.

[alexv]

I was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder. I didn't feel any different tho I was happy that I was right all along and that I could now rub it in the face of everyone who doubted my word, I just did better than they did.

[richard]

My father has paranoia personality disorder I remember how deeply it affected my development during my childhood and teenage years and how it impacted my heart to see someone I loved dearly develop it. The best thing to do to help a person with paranoia personality disorder is to keep your distance( trying to help and be close to someone with ppd is extremely hard and mostly useless due to mistrust) and try to help them, this has to come from someone that they love and therefore could manage to trust in a much more limited way via phone communication, occasional visits, and requires doing everything that a practitioner for personality disorder would do, this of course requires a tough and rough and sometimes long battle ahead- I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever ( don’t try to fix those that are already broken because you’ll only manage to break yourself in the process) sometimes it’s ok to accept things for how they are no matter how painful and go on and be strong and live your life in peace and happiness whether your a loved one or someone experiencing it! Hold your head up high and live happy

[Rashy]

My paranoia has gotten so bad this past year. It started to get worse in Nov 2020. I don’t go out much and spend most of the day alone in my bedroom. I have anxiety and depression and I don’t have any friends anymore. At least I used to hang out with people at college before Covid. Now I’m just alone with my thoughts. I hate being paranoid because I can’t relax. I get paranoid about something then I’d gets proven to be false then I relax. Then I get another paranoid thought. It’s a constant thing. I’m more paranoid about being spied on.

[kellym]

Thank you for talking about this! My father has really bad paranoia. I am aware that it can be genetic. I try to stay on top of things when I find myself getting paranoid theraphy really helps. Thank you for mentioning about caffeine I am not drinking coffee anymore this reminds me it's a good thing to give up! 💓💓💓

[amygilbert]

I walked into my Psychiatrist’s office begging for a diagnosis because my mind would not shut up so that I could sleep. I literally told her “I need you to make my mind shut up.” I knew that I had anxiety and depression, but really felt as though there might be something else going on. I ended up with a diagnosis of Bipolar I with anxiety and OCD as my manic symptoms phase. She put me on a mix of medications and I have finally felt whole!

[ale]

I grew up being an emotional (and physical most of the time) punching ball for my mom who was never diagnosed but firmly believed that other people's mission was to make fun of her and isolate her, even my childhood friends, who were literal kids. She was stressed out, anxious, depressed and angry most of the time and no one ever noticed or tried to help (also because she's really aggressive and pushes people away) . It took me a very long time to understand that it was all in her head, mainly because of my father's inability to notice her behaviors. It was only when I was 17 when she had really bad anxiety that I forced her to seek psychological help. I was exhausted and it was not fair that the only person who could actually help her was a sad and angry teenager who was also a victim of her mental illness. I also suffer from anxiety, obsessions and as for the last few months also "mild" depression. I'm trying to recover from my childhood traumas but it's hard not to dismiss my own experiences because "it was not all bad", but it actually was really bad. P.S. she still believes other people are out to get her but at least she agreed not to talk about that to me.

[glitterizedrainbow]

I was never actually diagnosed by a doctor but I am 100% sure I had/still have to a small degree selective mutism as a child. It took till my mid 30's to realise it by doing some research on the NHS website. It left me in tears for a full weekend and for about 2 years I could not utter the name of the condition. However it was the best thing to find out as I got a hold on my life and its so much better. I was happy to finally realise it wasn't just me. I even had teachers ask me what was wrong with me! Everyone labeled me as just shy and I always knew deep down it was so much more.

[crazyontwowheels]

This really sounds like me. I'm happy to be closer to some answers.

[gbooboop]

I’ll crying I can understand this for ALL my different Personality disorder combined into ONE!

[TheYazmanian]

Seems like there is an extremely fine line between social anxiety and paranoia.

[mikesnow]

My girlfriend just broke up with me and I ended up taking coke and alcohol which I know isn't good but doing this has made me sit in my kitchen and research what is wrong with me which i wouldnt do sober. Because of your video I can better explain to my nurse and psychiatrist what I'm feeling. You don't understand how much this video has helped me understand and hopefully I can explain it now and get help. From this video and another one I feel I have PPD, social anxiety disorder and derealization. I'm going to continue looking for videos just now into these things so I can hopefully one feel normal again. I already get medication for auditory hallucinations and just recently received antidepressants.

[azria]

Over the years I have received multiple major diagnoses, all of which has actually been an immense relief. I have been diagnosed with the auto immune disease Lupus, with depression and anxiety, complex ptsd and as last, avoidant personality disorder. It is amazing the route the diagnoses has gone, as having come full circle with the personality disorder - looking back, every diagnosis is an explanation to the next diagnosis. Receiving a label is not a definition of you as a person, it is indeed merely a name to describe/cluster symptoms, much like you would do figuring out where your back pain comes from.

A label enables knowledge, understandance and treatment. All of which humanizes not only your journey in getting the diagnosis(es), but your own experience of what life has been up until this point, and most definitely what it is moving forward.

It all starts with knowledge. I think if I were to give a tip to anyone, it is to realise that other people (and most definitely not your clinician) are not judging your diagnosis or symptoms. More often than not, it s our own judgement and faulty belief systems that makes this a difficult process. However, I like to think that there is no shame. All things that can develop mentally for a person has its own very valid reasons. Realising we are not to blame for what has become, can take an immense weight off your shoulders. Realising we have the capacity to take control of our own future, brings a lot of strength.

I will leave the most powerful quote I have ever come across in my journey:

"We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our own world"

[saneladimitrievski]

It's really great that a wide range of factors have been identified in the process of diagnosing individuals. This field of study has come a long way. I also like how it discourages stigma.

[anonymousmedusa]

I know someone with PPD. It's exhausting to talk to this person because there's no possibility to reason with them. Just trying to seems to increase the paranoia because now I'm contradicting their feelings.

[dudgeon]

I can say as a victim of sex abuse that yes, people have all these suspicions. We also have every right because every human has their own agenda, and it is almost entirely evil

[manwithnoname]

Now I wouldn't say that I wouldn't have it but I will admit I have been very paranoid these past few weeks to the point where I have anxiety almost all the time but watching videos on this is very relieving knowing that everything is likely just a suspicion. I don't know if I should seek help because I manage to calm myself down sometimes and I feel like I find ways to cope with it.