Paranoid personality disorder is a personality disorder that can become a debilitating condition and needs immediate treatment. Individuals suffering from this disorder are extremely suspicious of others and do not trust anyone including faithful friends and relatives. They are constantly hounded by the feeling that others have evil motives for them and cannot be trusted. These individuals feel that others are devious and they see themselves as completely faultless and often find the reason for their own mistakes and failures in others.

Paranoid personalities fail to trust or confide in anyone and lack the ability to form sound interpersonal relationships. These individuals are often perceived as cold and distant by others. They tend to put blames on close friends and kin easily and carry grudges for a long time. Almost 4.5 percent of the general population is affected by this disorder.

Characteristics of Paranoid personality Disorder

Paranoid personalities continually expect others to deceive them and keep looking fro evidence to confirm their expectations and pay no attention to all confirmation to the contrary.

These individuals are always suspicious of the faithfulness of loyal friends and fail to open their heart in front of others.

They have a tendency of misjudging even the smallest of remarks and feel that others have ulterior motives.

These individuals feel that their spouse or lover is cheating on them without any evidence.

They tend to bear grudges for long periods of time and fail to forgive perceived insults and may react angrily or in an inappropriate manner.

Individuals with paranoid personality disorder are not psychotic and are in clear contact with reality. Their constant mistrust of others and suspicious nature leaves them prone to a number of problems in interpersonal relationships often leading to break-ups and abandonment. These difficulties lead the person to be continually on guard for supposed attacks by others.

Causes of Paranoid Personality Disorder:

The exact cause of paranoid personality disorder is unknown. However, there is evidence that factors related to family and upbringing may influence the development of this disorder to a large extent. Research states that more cases of paranoid personality can be found in families where members suffer from other disorders such as schizophrenia or paranoia.

Studies also indicate that other possible causes for the development of such behavior may revolve around childhood experiences. For instance, children who are victims of the anger of adults on a regular basis may develop paranoid thinking as a defense mechanism to cope with stress.