Paranoid personality disorder is a relatively rare psychopathic pathology, which manifests itself in painful suspicion of familiar and unfamiliar people, of the role of events and objects in the patient's life. This pathology is characterized by the development of overvalued ideas, the delusion of which the patient refuses to admit. Meanwhile, the falsity and absurdity of his beliefs are completely obvious to everyone around him. If the symptoms of paranoid personality disorder go too far, then the person needs qualified medical treatment. Otherwise, he poses a threat to himself and others.
Disorder symptoms: what to look for early on
The disease, as a rule, develops very slowly, over several years, and sometimes even decades. The manifestation is obvious to others, while the chronic course is almost alwaysgoes unnoticed. The most that colleagues and acquaintances can say about their friend with paranoid personality disorder in a chronic course is that "he is a little strange, he is fond of unusual ideas." In fact, it is at the time of the chronic course that special medicines must be taken, then you can save a person from painful, obsessive thoughts and avoid exacerbation of the disease.
In the initial stages of development, the following symptoms of paranoid personality disorder are characteristic:
- Unusual ideas that are associated with the desire of someone to influence the life of the patient himself, his relatives or even the whole country (a typical example is ideas about the Masonic conspiracy, reptilians, alien influence and similar delusional thoughts).
- The feeling that a person is constantly being watched, and an attempt to somehow get rid of this observation. These are the very actions ridiculed by society: sticking paper over a webcam, choosing a phone without a camera at all, fear of contextual advertising, and the like. On the surface, this behavior may seem funny, but most often it indicates a mild degree of mental illness.
- Tendency to conflict situations with loved ones, colleagues. The patient is ready to defend his views for all their obvious abnormality. The further the disease progresses, the more intense conflict situations can be.
- Inside the patient, as a rule, constantly sleeps and from time to time a feeling of anger, envy is activated. From the outside it seems that aggression is unmotivated. He alone knows thatprompted him to begin manifesting his own anger on a physical level. To ordinary people, such reasons for rage seem completely meaningless.
In the later stages, the symptoms worsen. In some cases, even to the point that the patient "falls out" of reality. This is the so-called paranoid disorder schizophrenia. Characteristic already in the later stages. With such attacks, the patient becomes completely inadequate, it is impossible to agree on anything with him, to convince him of anything. The further the disease goes, the more the patient is immersed in his world of illusions, hallucinations. With a paranoid disorder, this world is terrible: the constant fear that the persecutors will finally get to the sick person and start torturing him, torturing him. Willingness to kill either imaginary persecutors or yourself. Acute attacks (paranoid psychopathy) can only be stopped with the help of serious drugs. These can be antipsychotics of both the old and the new generation.
Close people of a sick person at the first symptoms of an acute psychotic state and hallucinosis should immediately call an ambulance. After describing the symptoms, the call will be redirected to the MHP, and a medical cortege will be sent from there.
Supposed causes of paranoid mental disorder
What causes paranoid personality disorder to develop? The ICD-10 code for this disease is F20.0. After the diagnosis of this disease, a person is registered, he must be regularly observed by the attending physician and takeprescribed drugs.
Why the disease develops, medicine is not exactly known. The brain and nervous system are the most poorly understood parts of our body. There is an assumption that paranoid disorder develops due to the following reasons:
- Genetic predisposition, but which gene or set of cells is responsible for paranoid psychopathic behavior has not been exactly identified.
- Injuries of a psychological nature received in childhood.
- Innate character traits such as suspicion, incredulity, hostility to the world, some moderate schizoidness, which over time, under the influence of life circumstances, progress to a paranoid disorder.
- Chronic alcoholism in the stage of withdrawal syndrome almost always leads to acute psychotic states. For this reason, people who are prone to developing paranoid psychosis are strictly prohibited from using alcohol, drugs and other PAS (psychoactive substances).
Diagnosing a disease: where to go?
How is the diagnosis? Some psychiatric pathologies are very similar to each other, paranoid personality disorder is very easy to confuse with ordinary schizophrenia. Many manifestations of pathology depend on the stage, therefore, for accurate diagnosis, long-term observation is required.
If there is a suspicion of an exacerbation, then it is necessary to go to the hospital for a while. Such conditions are necessary in the first place to protect the patient himself fromschizophrenic episodes of paranoid personality disorder. ICD-10 classifies the disease as fairly serious. This is an excuse to take sick leave for a while.
Accurate diagnosis during forced sick leave does not fit into the disability certificate. To date, a psychiatrist has no right to disclose the patient's diagnosis in any way. So if the patient is forced to take sick leave for a while, he may not be afraid that colleagues will find out about his illness.
In order to recognize paranoid personality disorder at an early stage, it is necessary to pass special tests. There are quite a few of them, and they are all compiled on the basis of various methods. Full testing may take several weeks. The patient can come to the specialist at the appointed time: his psychological state is important (whether he is full, calm, whether there are any traumatic events in his life at the time of testing). If you recognize the disease at an early stage, work with an experienced psychotherapist, if necessary, take a course of antidepressants, neuroleptics or other psychotropic drugs (only a psychiatrist can prescribe them), then the patient returns to normal life and forgets about his crazy ideas. When he recalls his belief in the past about conspiracies, murderers and the threat to life, then he himself becomes ridiculous. This is a happy ending to the case story.
But more often in our country, everything happens differently: the patient gets into the IPA on a call from relatives. In this case, the patient is most often in an insane state, he needsthe introduction of large doses of serious drugs to fall asleep and then, perhaps, to recover. If such a relapse occurred at least once, then it is likely that it will happen again. Therefore, the patient is put on a permanent record in the PND. The ICD code for paranoid personality disorder is written in the patient's chart. From now until the death of the patient, this information will not be erased from the archive.
How is treatment in a hospital
There are a lot of rumors about treatment in PND, a lot of films have been made. In fact, this is the most ordinary hospital: patients are looked after, the doctor makes rounds every day and is interested in the nuances of well-being. There are usually three or four people in a room. There are bars on the windows of the wards, this is a safety rule. So that patients do not injure themselves, they are not given knives and forks in the dining room. It is also forbidden to bring knives and sharp, potentially life-threatening objects (scissors, needles, etc.) with you.
No one forbids patients to communicate with each other. In order to prevent conflict or possible bodily harm, nurses and orderlies visit the ward from time to time. If there is a need, then it is necessary to go to the PND hospital - often this is the only way for the patient to start feeling better, to enter a long-term remission.
Expediency of taking antidepressants for paranoia
How to treat paranoid disorder? Talking to a therapist and taking antidepressants will help in the early stages. For morelater stages require more serious, radical therapy.
Antidepressants provide significant relief when paranoid personality disorder is triggered by depressing, depressive intrusive thoughts. The selection of antidepressants is a very important undertaking. Sometimes the psychiatrist is forced to observe the patient for some time in order to prescribe certain pills. Usually, an SSRI drug is prescribed first. If for some reason the condition does not improve (and sometimes even worsens), then the doctor prescribes another drug with an antidepressant effect.
Neuroleptics for symptoms of paranoid personality disorder
Neuroleptics are psychotropic drugs. You can briefly describe their action: with regular use, a person becomes very calm, nothing disturbs him. Former thoughts of a paranoid nature that someone is plotting, stalking him or trying to kill him seem insignificant and even ridiculous. Anxiety and worry disappear. It is advisable to take antipsychotics when the disease is already clearly manifested and prevents a person from living and working, communicating with loved ones.
Against the background of taking antidepressants, neuroleptics (as well as any other psychotropic drugs), alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances are strictly prohibited. Psychosis, delirium may develop (depending on the amount drunk).
Where is it better to apply: to budgetary PNDs or to private centers
If the patient and his relatives fear (by the way, quite rightly) that registration with the PND in the future will lead to difficulties in getting a prestigious government job or obtaining a driver's license, then it makes sense to contact a private clinic.
Private clinics offer hospitalization, diagnosis services. If an attack of paranoia occurred after alcohol abuse, then the person will be intoxicated and helped to get out of the drunken state. The cost of treatment includes the necessary drugs with a psychotropic effect, which cannot be purchased in a pharmacy without a prescription. The main disadvantage is that the course of treatment in such a clinic will be quite expensive.
The state psycho-neurological dispensary is registered, and this information is provided to the authorities upon request. So, after the fact of registration, getting a driver's license or permission to keep or carry weapons is very difficult, almost impossible.
Myths among people without a medical education about paranoia
Common myths about paranoid personality disorder:
- The person becomes dangerous and should be avoided.
- He constantly repeats stupid things and it seems to him that they want to kill him, that they are hunting him.
- There is no cure for paranoid disorder.
- A person can "infect" others with his condition.
Unfortunately, there are still many myths about psychiatric illness in our society. paranoid people,as a rule, are dangerous only in rare periods of exacerbations. If you monitor your condition and take pills if necessary, then there will be no such exacerbations at all.
Patient relationships with friends and relatives
There is no denying the fact that a person with paranoid personality disorder is very difficult to communicate with. People suffering from psychopathy rarely find a common language with others, in every little thing they see an insult to their own personality, a humiliation of their dignity. It is worth noting that it is useless to argue with such people, because they are convinced that they are right and no arguments will prove otherwise. On the contrary, any arguments and arguments will be considered another insult that provokes a conflict.
When communicating with a doctor, one of the diagnostic criteria is the relationship in the patient's family. Whether he is loved, how often he talks with members of his family. If he lives alone, is there a regular sexual partner and what is the relationship with him. The more a person is immersed in himself, the less often and harder he communicates with people around him, the further the disease can go.
The danger of psychiatric deviations is that they often coexist with each other, and when diagnosing one, you can miss the second. For example, social phobia often "walks" alongside schizophrenia, depression - next to alcoholism, etc.
Doctors' advice: how to prevent a recurrence of the disorder
How to prevent the exacerbation of paranoid disorder? Simple hygiene rules should be followedmental he alth:
- absolutely refrain from drinking any amount of alcohol (even very small doses), drugs and other psychoactive substances;
- avoid environments that escalate psychological stress;
- try to find good acquaintances, friends and just people in whose company a person is comfortable and pleasant to be;
- at the first sign of a deterioration in well-being, take a coupon for a consultation with a psychiatrist;
- do not think about your pathology, otherwise these thoughts can become obsessive;
- eat well, avoid physical overwork and psycho-emotional stress.
