Paranoid Personality Disorder

The essential feature for this type of personality disorder is interpreting the actions of others as deliberately threatening or demeaning.  There is a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others, interpreting other's motives as malevolent, exploiting, harming or deceiving..

People with paranoid personality disorder are untrusting, unforgiving, and prone to angry or aggressive outbursts without justification because they perceive others as unfaithful, disloyal, condescending or deceitful. 

This type of person may also be jealous, guarded, secretive, and scheming, and may appear to be emotionally "cold" or excessively serious.

Onset is typically early adolescence.

Some of the typical signs are:

• suspicious without adequate basis
• preoccupied with doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of others
• reluctant to confide in others
• unwarranted fears
• reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign comments
• holds grudges
• unforgiving of perceived insults
• perceives attacks on his character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack
• recurrent suspicions without justification regarding fidelity of spouse