Paranoid personality disorder



Paranoid Personality Disorder 786
Photo by: Andrew Lever

Definition

People with paranoid personality disorder (PPD) have long-term, widespread and unwarranted suspicions that other people are hostile, threatening or demeaning. These beliefs are steadfastly maintained in the absence of any real supporting evidence. The disorder, whose name comes from the Greek word for "madness," is one of ten personality disorders described in the 2000 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , (the fourth edition, text revision or DSM-IVTR ), the standard guidebook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders.

Despite the pervasive suspicions they have of others, patients with PPD are not delusional (except in rare, brief instances brought on by stress ). Most of the time, they are in touch with reality, except for their misinterpretation of others' motives and intentions. PPD patients are not psychotic but their conviction that others are trying to "get them" or humiliate them in some way often leads to hostility and social isolation.

Description

People with PPD do not trust other people. In fact, the central characteristic of people with PPD is a high degree of mistrustfulness and suspicion when interacting with others. Even friendly gestures are often interpreted as being manipulative or malevolent. Whether the patterns of distrust and suspicion begin in childhood or in early adulthood, they quickly come to dominate the lives of those suffering from PPD. Such people are unable or afraid to form close relationships with others.

They suspect strangers, and even people they know, of planning to harm or exploit them when there is no good evidence to support this belief. As a result of their constant concern about the lack of trustworthiness of others, patients with this disorder often have few intimate friends or close human contacts. They do not fit in and they do not make good "team players." Interactions with others are characterized by wariness and not infrequently by hostility. If they marry or become otherwise attached to someone, the relationship is often characterized by pathological jealousy and attempts to control their partner. They often assume their sexual partner is "cheating" on them.

People suffering from PPD are very difficult to deal with. They never seem to let down their defenses. They are always looking for and finding evidence that others are against them. Their fear, and the threats they perceive in the innocent statements and actions of others, often contributes to frequent complaining or unfriendly withdrawal or aloofness. They can be confrontational, aggressive and disputatious. It is not unusual for them to sue people they feel have wronged them. In addition, patients with this disorder are known for their tendency to become violent.

Despite all the unpleasant aspects of a paranoid lifestyle, however, it is still not sufficient to drive many people with PPD to seek therapy. They do not usually walk into a therapist's office on their own. They distrust mental health care providers just as they distrust nearly everyone else. If a life crisis, a family member or the judicial system succeeds in getting a patient with PPD to seek help, therapy is often a challenge. Individual counseling seems to work best but it requires a great deal of patience and skill on the part of the therapist. It is not unusual for patients to leave therapy when they perceive some malicious intent on the therapist's part. If the patient can be persuaded to cooperate— something that is not easy to achieve— low-dose medications are recommended for treating such specific problems as anxiety, but only for limited periods of time.

If a mental health care provider is able to gain the trust of a patient with PPD, it may be possible to help the patient deal with the threats that they perceive. The disorder, however, usually lasts a lifetime.

Causes and symptoms

Causes

No one knows what causes paranoid personality disorder, although there are hints that familial factors may influence the development of the disorder in some cases. There seem to be more cases of PPD in families that have one or more members who suffer from such psychotic disorders as schizophrenia or delusional disorder .

Other possible interpersonal causes have been proposed. For example, some therapists believe that the behavior that characterizes PPD might be learned. They suggest that such behavior might be traced back to childhood experiences. According to this view, children who are exposed to adult anger and rage with no way to predict the outbursts and no way to escape or control them develop paranoid ways of thinking in an effort to cope with the stress. PPD would emerge when this type of thinking becomes part of the individual's personality as adulthood approaches.

Studies of identical (or monozygotic) and fraternal (or dizygotic) twins suggest that genetic factors may also play an important role in causing the disorder. Twin studies indicate that genes contribute to the development of childhood personality disorders, including PPD. Furthermore, estimates of the degree of genetic contribution to the development of childhood personality disorders are similar to estimates of the genetic contribution to adult versions of the disorders.

Symptoms

A core symptom of PPD is a generalized distrust of other people. Comments and actions that healthy people would not notice come across as full of insults and threats to someone with the disorder. Yet, generally, patients with PPD remain in touch with reality; they don't have any of the hallucinations or delusions seen in patients with psychoses. Nevertheless, their suspicions that others are intent on harming or exploiting them are so pervasive and intense that people with PPD often become very isolated. They avoid normal social interactions. And because they feel so insecure in what is a very threatening world for them, patients with PPD are capable of becoming violent. Innocuous comments, harmless jokes and other day-to-day communications are often perceived as insults.

Paranoid suspicions carry over into all realms of life. Those burdened with PPD are frequently convinced that their sexual partners are unfaithful. They may misinterpret compliments offered by employers or coworkers as hidden criticisms or attempts to get them to work harder. Complimenting a person with PPD on their clothing or car, for example, could easily be taken as an attack on their materialism or selfishness.

Because they persistently question the motivations and trustworthiness of others, patients with PPD are not inclined to share intimacies. They fear such information might be used against them. As a result, they become hostile and unfriendly, argumentative or aloof. Their unpleasantness often draws negative responses from those around them. These rebuffs become "proof" in the patient's mind that others are, indeed, hostile to them. They have little insight into the effects of their attitude and behavior on their generally unsuccessful interactions with others. Asked if they might be responsible for negative interactions that fill their lives, people with PPD are likely to place all the blame on others.

A brief summary of the typical symptoms of PPD includes:

  • suspiciousness and distrust of others
  • questioning hidden motives in others
  • feelings of certainty, without justification or proof, that others are intent on harming or exploiting them
  • social isolation
  • aggressiveness and hostility
  • little or no sense of humor

Demographics

As of 2002, it has not been possible to determine the number of people with PPD with any accuracy. This lack of data might be expected for a disorder that is characterized by extreme suspiciousness. Such patients in many cases avoid voluntary contact with such people as mental health workers who have a certain amount of power over them. There are, nonetheless, some estimates of the prevalence of PPD. According to the DSM-IV-TR , between 0.5% and 2.5% of the general population of the United States may have PPD, while 2%–10% of outpatients receiving psychiatric care may be affected. A significant percentage of institutionalized psychiatric patients, between 10% and 30%, might have symptoms that qualify for a diagnosis of PPD. Finally, the disorder appears to be more common in men than in women.

There are indications in the scientific literature that relatives of patients with chronic schizophrenia may have a greater chance of developing PPD than people in the general population. Also, the incidence of the disorder may be higher among relatives of patients suffering from another psychotic disorder known as delusional disorder of the persecutory type.

Diagnosis

There are no laboratory tests or imaging studies as of 2002 that can be used to confirm a diagnosis of PPD. The diagnosis is usually made on the basis of the doctor's interview with the patient, although the doctor may also give the patient a diagnostic questionnaire. In addition, input from people who know the patient may be requested.

Diagnostic criteria

Mental health care providers look for at least five distinguishing symptoms in patients who they think might suffer from PPD. The first is a pattern of suspiciousness about, and distrust of, other people when there is no good reason for either. This pattern should be present from at least the time of the patient's early adulthood.

In addition to this symptom that is required in order to make the PPD diagnosis, the patient should have at least four of the following seven symptoms as listed in the DSM-IV-TR :

  • The unfounded suspicion that people want to deceive, exploit or harm the patient.
  • The pervasive belief that others are not worthy of trust or that they are not inclined to or capable of offering loyalty.
  • A fear that others will use information against the patient with the intention of harming him or her. This fear is demonstrated by a reluctance to share even harmless personal information with others.
  • The interpretation of others' innocent remarks as insulting or demeaning; or the interpretation of neutral events as presenting or conveying a threat.
  • A strong tendency not to forgive real or imagined slights and insults. People with PPD nurture grudges for a long time.
  • An angry and aggressive response in reply to imagined attacks by others. The counterattack for a perceived insult is often rapid.
  • Suspicions, in the absence of any real evidence, that a spouse or sexual partner is not sexually faithful, resulting in such repeated questions as "Where have you been?" "Whom did you see?" etc., and other types of jealous behavior.

Differential diagnosis

Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists should be careful not to confuse PPD with other mental disorders or behaviors that have some symptoms in common with the paranoid personality. For example, it is important to make sure that the patient is not a long-term user of amphetamine or cocaine. Chronic abuse of these stimulants can produce paranoid behavior. Also, some prescription medications might produce paranoia as a side effect; so it is important to find out what drugs, if any, the patient is taking.

There are other conditions that, if present, would mean a patient with paranoid traits does not have PPD. For example, if the patient has symptoms of schizophrenia, hallucinations or a formal thought disorder, a diagnosis of PPD can't be made. The same is true of delusions, which are not a feature of PPD.

Also, the suspiciousness and other characteristic features of PPD must have been present in the patient for a long time, at least since early adulthood. If the symptoms appeared more recently than that, a person can't be given a diagnosis of this disorder.

There are at least a dozen disorders or other mental health conditions listed in the DSM-IV-TR that could be confused with PPD after a superficial interview because they share similar or identical symptoms with PPD. It is important, therefore, to eliminate the following entities before settling on a diagnosis of PPD: paranoid schizophrenia; schizotypal personality disorder ; schizoid personality disorder ; persecutory delusional disorder; mood disorder with psychotic features; symptoms and/or personality changes produced by disease, medical conditions, medication or drugs of abuse; paranoia linked to the development of physical handicaps; and borderline, histrionic, avoidant, antisocial or narcissistic personality disorders.

In some individuals, symptoms of PPD may precede the development of schizophrenia. Should a patient who as been correctly diagnosed with PPD later develop schizophrenia, the DSM-IV-TR suggests that the diagnosis on the patient's medical record be changed from "Paranoid Personality Disorder" to "Paranoid Personality Disorder (Premorbid)."

Treatments

Because they are suspicious and untrusting, patients with PPD are not likely to seek therapy on their own. A particularly disturbing development or life crisis may prompt them to get help. More often, however, the legal system or the patient's relatives order or encourage him or her to seek professional treatment. But even after a patient finally agrees or is forced to seek treatment, the nature of the disorder poses very serious challenges to therapists.

Psychotherapy

The primary approach to treatment for such personality disorders as PPD is psychotherapy . The problem is that patients with PPD do not readily offer therapists the trust that is needed for successful treatment. As a result, it has been difficult to gather data that would indicate what kind of psychotherapy would work best. Therapists face the challenge of developing rapport with someone who is, by the nature of his personality disorder, distrustful and suspicious; someone who often sees malicious intent in the innocuous actions and statements of others. The patient may actively resist or refuse to cooperate with others who are trying to help.

Mental health workers treating patients with PPD must guard against any show of hostility on their part in response to hostility from the patient, which is a common occurrence in people with this disorder. Instead, clinicians are advised to develop trust by persistently demonstrating a nonjudgmental attitude and a professional desire to assist the patient.

It is usually up to the therapist alone to overcome a patient's resistance. Group therapy that includes family members or other psychiatric patients, not surprisingly, isn't useful in the treatment of PPD due to the mistrust people with PPD feel towards others. This characteristic also explains why there are no significant self-help groups dedicated to recovery from this disorder. It has been suggested, however, that some people with PPD might join cults or extremist groups whose members might share their suspicions.

To gain the trust of PPD patients, therapists must be careful to hide as little as possible from their patients. This transparency should include note taking; details of administrative tasks concerning the patient; correspondence; and medications. Any indication of what the patient would consider "deception" or covert operation can, and often does, lead the patient to drop out of treatment. Patients with paranoid tendencies often don't have a well-developed sense of humor; those who must interact with people with PPD probably should not make jokes in their presence. Attempts at humor may seem like ridicule to people who feel so easily threatened.

With some patients, the most attainable goal may be to help them to learn to analyze their problems in dealing with other people. This approach amounts to supportive therapy and is preferable to psychotherapeutic approaches that attempt to analyze the patient's motivations and possible sources of paranoid traits. Asking about a patient's past can undermine the treatment of PPD patients. Concentrating on the specific issues that are troubling the patient with PPD is usually the wisest course.

With time and a skilled therapist, the patient with PPD who remains in therapy may develop a measure of trust. But as the patient reveals more of his paranoid thoughts, the clinician will continue to face the difficult task of balancing the need for objectivity about the paranoid ideas and the maintenance of a good rapport with the patient. The therapist thus walks a tightrope with this type of patient. If the therapist is not straightforward enough, the patient may feel deceived. If the therapist challenges paranoid thoughts too directly, the patient will be threatened and probably drop out of treatment.

Medications

While individual supportive psychotherapy is the treatment of choice for PPD, medications are sometimes used on a limited basis to treat related symptoms. If, for example, the patient is very anxious, anti-anxiety drugs may be prescribed. In addition, during periods of extreme agitation and high stress that produce delusional states, the patient may be given low doses of antipsychotic medications.

Some clinicians have suggested that low doses of neuroleptics should be used in this group of patients; however, medications are not normally part of long-term treatment for PPD. One reason is that no medication has been proven to relieve effectively the long-term symptoms of the disorder, although the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine (Prozac) have been reported to make patients less angry, irritable and suspicious. Antidepressants may even make symptoms worse. A second reason is that people with PPD are suspicious of medications. They fear that others might try to control them through the use of drugs. It can therefore be very difficult to persuade them to take medications unless the potential for relief from another threat, such as extreme anxiety, makes the medications seem relatively appealing. The best use of medication may be for specific complaints, when the patient trusts the therapist enough to ask for relief from particular symptoms.

Prognosis

Paranoid personality disorder is often a chronic, lifelong condition; the long-term prognosis is usually not encouraging. Feelings of paranoia, however, can be controlled to a degree with successful therapy. Unfortunately, many patients suffer the major symptoms of the disorder throughout their lives.

Prevention

With little or no understanding of the cause of PPD, it is not possible to prevent the disorder.

See also Paranoia

Resources

BOOKS

Allen, Thomas E., Mayer C. Liebman, Lee Crandall Park, and William C. Wimmer. A Primer on Mental Disorders: A Guide for Educators, Families, and Students. Lantham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2001.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th edition, text revised. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association,2000.

Beers, Mark H., and Robert Berkow, eds. "Personality disorders." In The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 17th edition. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1999.

Frances, Allen. Your Mental Health: A Layman's Guide to the Psychiatrist's Bible. New York, NY: Scribner, 1999.

Kernberg, Paulina F., Alan S. Weiner and Karen K. Bardenstein. Personality Disorders in Children and Adolescents. 1st edition. New York, NY: Basic Books,2000.

PERIODICALS

Coolidge, F. L., L. L. Thede and K. L. Jang. "Heritability of personality disorders in childhood: A preliminary investigation." Journal of Personality Disorders 15, no. 1 (Feb.2001): 33-40.

Webb, C. T. and D. F. Levinson. "Schizotypal and paranoid personality disorder in the relatives of patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders: A review." Schizophrenia Research 11, no. 1 (Dec. 1993): 81-92.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Psychiatric Association. 1400 K Street NW, Washington D.C. 20005. <http://www.psych.org> .

International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders. 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478. <http://www.isspd.com/> .

National Mental Health Association. 1021 Prince Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2971. <http://www.nmha.org/> .

OTHER

Beers, Mark H., and Robert Berkow, eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 1995-2002. (cited March 12,2002). < http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section15/chapter191/191a.htm> .

Ekleberry, Sharon, C., Dual Diagnosis and the Paranoid Personality Disorder. The Dual Diagnosis Pages. 25 March 2000. (cited 19 March 2002). <http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/paranoid.htm> .

Grohol, John M. "Paranoid Personality Disorder." Psych Central. 1 March 2002. (cited 16 March 2002). <http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx37t.htm> .

Dean A. Haycock, Ph.D.



Also read article about Paranoid personality disorder from Wikipedia

User Contributions:

1
John
Very well written article. It pretty much describes me perfectly except I do have a sense of humor and insight into my condition. My main problem is I'm always very uncomfortable with people looking at me. It is a serious condition that can lead to pure rage and a very violent outcome. The mental pounding is relentless and can render you damn near agoraphobic. I'm a goddamn genious, I just can't beat it.
2
curt
I read the first guys comment and I had to look at the intitials at the end cause I thought that I had wrote it myself.
Yeah, I agree this is a very good article. Just the same with me, a light went off and I was blown away. Just like it was written for me. It is a painful, painful experience. Especially when she was the greatest person in the world and just the most perfect member of our church. I am telling you, when she is in church and turns her will over to a higher power, she is normal. She fell away, started on drugs and ended up beating the shit out of me and throwing me out. Pretty scary. I was in Australia and had to come home cause it had gotten so bad and I had no clue what it was or why. I eventually myself became very hurt and beat up. I nearly lost myself through the experience. She has never so much as called me since I got back. I have her password to her E-mail and she only checked it once way back six months ago. Just recently she wrote me that I am a liar and that she isn't attracted to me at all, actually turned off by me. ANd that it is over and we will never be together....

Wish everybody luck with this, this has been a night mare,..

ps. her mom is the same way and her mom was sexually abused as a child. Just for info.
3
Tricia Hysell
This information was helpful but I'm curous that if the person is a chronic alchhol drinker and marajuana user how big is the effect that they play in this disorder and where can I find information relating alcohol and marajuana to this condition. It would help if I had proof to convince others of the problem. If you can help me out I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks Tricia
4
David
my partner seems to associate any innocent event such as a text message send / receive disparity is seen as a sign of lying or possible infidelelity. Even when confronted with the irrefutable evidence, ie i show her the mobile detail side by side, its dismissed as We get into serious confrontation over say my whereabouts, and when i actually prove the facts i am told i'm making a mountain out of a molehill! It just seems a lose lose situation, and I'm now resigned just to go along with whatever accusation is made. I'm ok with it at the moment but so worried that this will detriorate over time. Is this PPD where coincidences become conspiracy?
5
demitria
My sister has this disorder and life with her is miserable. She destroys everyone she gets close to, and everyone is out to demean her or make her look stupid, disrespect her, humiliate her. She focuses on social hierarchies as though they determine everyone's actions towards her, no matter how irrelevant, and can take a simple, innocent comment by someone and spin it into the most vile conniving ulterior motive you could ever imagine. It actually feels like she missed her calling as a fiction writer, only the connections are so loose it is maddening, and sad. Some of the other comments don't seem to understand that not only are these people jealous, they are control-freaks in every area, and they spew horrible contrived and elaborate false plots day and night about the people around them. It can be months before she attacks me again, but I know it will come, and in the meantime, being around her is so difficult because she never stops relating all of the imaginary slights everyone else has committed against her. Her marriage is almost over, she has no friends, and she hates her mother, father, and her siblings. The only people who are safe are people she has never met, and she imagines she just hasn't found the right friends and associates yet. Sadly, she never will.
6
MOM
I think this is what I have! I have spent countless hours trying to figure out me defect! Tell me what you think
Mel
7
jen
I am convinced my sister has severe PPD. She has self-imploded and her life is spiraling out of control. She constantly is shutting people out of her life, mostly me, however at the moment she is heavily relying on me to be her friend since she has very few friends or people to talk to at the moment.She has reverted to living in the 80's, listening to only 80's music with the exception of "crazy" which she is obsessed with listening to, reconnecting with x-friends from high school on facebook, etc. I am TERRIFIED to suggest she gets help for fear she will shut me out again after barely speaking to me for the past few years. I love her more than anything on this earth-is there ANYTHING that any of you have been able to do to get your loved one help?
I feel so sad for all the testimonies I just read - knowing that I too am putting my husband through hell with all my accusations. I do okay for months at a time and then all of a sudden I'm convinced he's having an affair. I'll create a whole story in my mind and then I'll war against the fictional story as if my life depends on it.

I've even accused my husband of sexually abusing our son. Ironically I know none of this is happening. But I can't stop the thoughts and I can't stop acting on them.
Unlike other people with this disorder, I do very well socially. I have many wonderful friends and always think the best of them and expect the best of them. I also give them the best I have. Why my paranoia is isolated to my husband only is beyond me.

I appreciate all the comments I've read thus far. I feel very empathetic towards my husband right now, as well as apologetic.
This describes me in a way, I'm not always paranoid at times I can be a very relaxed person.. Then again I can be Suspicious, my sense of humor is horrible and I misinterpret a simple hello at times this makes me almost want to cry.. I'm willing to seek help I don't want this to escalate any further.. Please email me..
10
amina
Very well written article. It pretty much describes me perfectly except I do have a sense of humor and insight into my condition. My main problem is I'm always very uncomfortable with people looking at me. It is a serious condition that can lead to pure rage and a very violent outcome. The mental pounding is relentless and can render you damn near agoraphobic. I'm a goddamn genious, I just can't beat it.
11
Kitty
This is exactly my husband perfectly described! I don't know what to do anymore or how I'm going to cope with it either. I love him dearly, but I can't deal with constant accusations that I'm hiding things from him, I'm cheating on him, and that I'm manipulating him. He usually keeps most of it to himself, mulling it over while he's alone at his boring job, then when he's had a couple of drinks, "Bam" it all just explodes into a session of ranting and accusations and me in tears (the ranting even goes on to himself when he goes outside for a cigarette, I can hear him). I am beside myself with what to do or even how to deal with this anymore. I get so hurt by the constant doubting of my intentions and actions, apparently all I ever do is sit and work out how I can manipulate him and deceive him. It's very hurtful :(
12
Silance
Wow. This is my mother. I grew up with this behaviour. And up until 25 or so, I saw the world the same way. A suicide attempt landed me in psychiatric care for five months. I was never diagnosed with PPD, but spent the whole time in hospital in therapy for my other problems and I've been okay since.

My mother, sadly, is still behaving the same way. We haven't had any contact in a very long time.
13
Crazy4u
I've met numerous people in my life. A little fraction of them were showing a terrible personality. They were always thinking negative that made me think bad about them. So, of course, I isolated/detached myself from people that are hard to be with. I keep people that I get along with. I know they need somebody like me.
14
Charity
This article describes my mother exactly. She has always had issues, but somehow managed to raise 5 children on her own. My dad did come around and help some, but he couldn't be around her for too long. I am the youngest and was the last one to move out of the house. Since I left 10 years ago she has gone down hill drastically. She doesn't think she has a problem and refuses to get help. She just says "we're a family and family's should help each other and pray together". This is hard for me because I'm at my wits end with her. I've prayed and been as supportive as possible. I've let her live with me 2 different times. I love her and want her to be ok, but I am ready to tell her not to come around anymore. I have to kids and I don't want them to hear all the accusations she makes about EVERYONE. I've been told that I'm supposed to go along with her paranoid rants and pretend like I believe her. Is this true? I can't do it anymore. When I don't go along with it or I ask her to quit saying stuff infront of my kids she becomes angry and threatining. What should I do?
People with paranoid personality disorder (PPD) have long-term, widespread and unwarranted suspicions that other people are hostile, threatening or demeaning. These beliefs are steadfastly maintained in the absence of any real supporting evidence. The disorder, whose name comes from the Greek word for "madness," is one of ten personality disorders described in the 2000 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , (the fourth edition, text revision or DSM-IVTR ), the standard guidebook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders.
I WAS WONDERING IF PPD ARE THEY CAPABIE OF HURTING A CHILD,MY SON-IN-LAW KEVIN HAS TOOKEN MY GRANDBABY AWAY FROM SEEING OR VISIT WITH ME AND HE HAS PPD SO HE IS MEAN AND SAYS HURTFUL THINGS TO ME AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.HE NEVER LEAVES THE HOUSE HE MAKES MY DAUGHTER WORK AND NEVER HAD O JOB.IM AFRAID HE WILL HURT MY GRANDSON I NEVER BEEN APART FROM HIM SINCE HE WAS BORN THATS SIX YEARS,SO PLEASE HELP ME SO I CAN SAVE MY GRANDSON,IM NOT WORRY ABOUT EMILY SHES JUST LIKE HIM (CRAZY).
Hi,

Really this was a very illuminating article. I can empathize with all those people out there as I too went through such an experience personally. In the end I had to flee from him. I really loved him a lot and I still love him, but his constant suspicions, accusations, outbursts and abusive behavior was driving me crazy. I fled from this relationship two months before our marriage. I wish I could have helped him. But in the end I had no choice other than to save myself. He is a wonderful person except for his PPD. But I sensed that this disorder was becoming more and more chronic with each passing day. I hope there is someone out there who will be able to help him.
18
Paul
Thank you for this information. This explains alot about Byran Gunther.
I really bless with you all, i have almost feeling very very confused about my boyfriends, i dont really know what to do with him. I knew him 8 month. I have such a great filling to him and also nice intimacy with him, I love him so much. But the only things i cant stand is PPD. I have no idea what to say what ever it is is so true that exactly they need a loving person are can stand for This. but my boyfriends no trust no one in this planet..

* Can you explain you comment more detail for me and easier to assorbert.. i need that explanation but i dont really sure, maybe can you give me example please.

thankyou so much for this. I hope i can move on without thingking about him. I wish i never meet him :(

I wish they can have better treatment too..

I'm sorry my engglish is not very good writing...
My mother suffers from this disorder as well. For the longest time I thought that maybe it was schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the was she would treat me, my brother, and my father. She would alienate me, and attack my faith, saying I was a terrible Christian, and I never understood why, until recently. She accused me and my father of having an affair. She wouldn't talk to me, make everyone dinner except for me, she wasn't a mother to me. I am still unsure why it has only come out now, my childhood was a happy one. But since last year, I have been bouncing around, living with my dad's mother, or traveling, so as to avoid the abuse, I'm only 17. Now, I'm living in France, and she isn't talking to my father, and he has finally decided to get a divorce. She accuses him of having affairs with old family friends, or my youth leaders. I can recognize now, away from the situation, that at one point, she was my mother, and at one point she loved me, but the illness has taken the person that I once loved. She is no longer my mother, my mother died when the illness came out. I hold nothing against who she now is, and wish her only the best, but I've done all that I can do, I've loved her all that I can. You all have done the same. You have all done the best. But at one point, the illness takes the person you loved. I'm not reccomending you leave, I'm not reccomending you stay. But you all need to at some point choose what is healthy for you.

Feel free to email me.
21
Charley
My ex-husband was PPD & he was impossible to live with. He constantly accused me of bogus activity ranging from my allegedly having multiple affairs to my allegedly spying on him.

Just one of those scenarios was (in his mind) that he thought I was electronically monitoring his Internet communications via a peer-to-peer wireless network which HE himself had set up & which I knew nothing about (I actually didn't have the capability or the knowledge to know how it worked.) He also told me the Chinese and the Russians were both remotely trying to access his laptop to enslave it as a spam-bot.

Further, at random times and for no reason, he accused me of trying to poison him via mayonnaise, of having sex with men at our own house & keeping souvenirs of those alleged trysts, of having affairs with the checkout boy, or having affairs with friends of mine from other countries or of being a lesbian and having sex with the local Blockbuster manger who was a woman.

In the early days of our marriage, when his best friend told me he was paranoid, I should have listened. Instead, I stayed thinking I could fix whatever it was that might have been wrong with him. I was wrong. PPD cannot be fixed. No way, no how.

It is difficult if not impossible to live with someone who has these ongoing destructive fantasies. His behavior was verbally abusive, emotionally highly manipulative and psychologically devastatingly damaging to our marriage.

I had no choice but to leave him for my own physical and psychological safety and sanity.
22
Kiera
My mother has this disorder, while she has not officially been diagnosed because she refuses to speak with therapists, the therapist for the rest of our family quickly recognized the symptoms. Overall, this article is very well written and helpful to those who have been living or ever come across someone who suffers from PPD.

PPD is not only damaging to the patient, but also to their friends and family. My mother is a very smart person who likes to do things for others. However, she is rarely like that, since she has PPD she uses her kindness to guilt and manipulate people. My parents divorced when I was very young, my father left because he could no longer deal with her constant negativity and guilt trips. Yet, he still sticks around and loves my brother and me, yet my mother only continued her ways, she was so paranoid that when my parents separated, and my father was out of the house, she took me into my dads old office and at the age of 11 and showed me pictures of "all the women my father had slept with". Later I found out that none of the things my mother were stressing about had even happened.

Time, seems to be no cure either, she still to this day tells me that I betray her. Since when I was 17, I moved to my father's house because she had become violent and continued to tell me that I was a betrayer since I love and care for my half siblings. This is a very difficult disease to handle!

I am currently a student of psychology and I hope to go into field where I can research these problems in people in order to find solutions. Mental/Personality disorders are very difficult though, they are called "personality" disorders because they have become part of how a person interprets and behaves in the world. The hardest things to ever change are ourselves, we only have our own reasoning, and when our reasoning has become damaging to us, how can we even know if we don't even have a clear lens to see ourselves through?
23
Sara
My sister in law has been diagnosed with PPD 6 months after her marriage . She also have the same symptoms of jealousy,mistrust and people conspiring against her. She also has a miscarage and i guess that trigerred her condition. She is on drugs these days and i dont know whether she will ever get better again. I wish and pray that she gets better but is it possible?
My brother is in tremendous stress due to her behaviour as she leaves house whenever she feels depressive. One thing i have also observed that these people are very selfish and never ever works against their personal interest.

I also want to know if there is any side effects to the pills they take?
24
Vivian
How to help children of parents who have this disorder? Accusations, temper tantrams, mistrust, jealousy, etc. This has been the behaviour emulated in front of and towards the children. Consequently, they have little confidence, very uncertain in the responses and behavior. I feel helpless. They are my grandchildren and the parent is my daughter. Please send advice and/or suggestions. Thank you.
25
Chey.
I think I have this disorder. I pretty much am the same as comment #2. The article describes me all the same except the sense of humor thing. I do have a sense of humor. Though sometimes if a friend or associate says a joke I don't understand I become suspicious of it, and what it really meant. I've always been a little suspicious of people, ever since I can remember. I suppose the time when it started to get "worse" I guess, or when I started to feel this way more, was 4th grade. Now I'm in high school and I'm afraid of how this will effect my success in life. Like when I go to college and get a job after I graduate.(Even though that's a couple years away) I just don't know how to control it.
26
fed up
my older brother has this, but he would deny he does. At night he swears at people in his room, thinking everyone is following or copying him. He mumbles, rants, swears at everyone and everything.He says the most vile things to my parents and even to us his siblings. He has even been violent, his punched my dad and mum loads of times and even hit my little brother. I dont know what to do, whenever you book a drs appointment for him he knows its for this so doesnt go.
And then thinks we are out to get him. he is 26 yrs old and i dont think he will ever leave this house or get married, he doesnt trust anyone and always says stuff like 'oh if i was in charge i would deal with people, or i need a gang to join so i can sort people out'

I literally cant stand him anymore, my parents cant do anything to fix him coz he never goes drs. And they wont kick him out coz they say what will other people think. urghh and me and my little brother are stuck in the middle.
27
TK
Thank you so much for this article - a very close friend of mine recently ended our relationship in a fit of accusation and manipulation, and reading this article has saved my sanity! It perfectly explains her behavior and reassures me that this is a serious health issue and not that I was a bad friend. I knew she was a troubled/broken person but kept hoping that she would outgrow these problems; I'm glad to know about this condition so I understand it's not a matter of just growing up and out of it.

Being around her, there were some fun times, but it was always with a constant monitoring of her mood to make sure she wasn't mysteriously upset by an innocent comment, glance, outfit, motion, etc. Talk about walking on eggshells - I couldn't even honestly review a book she'd given me because I didn't love it and knew the 2 star review would send her reeling for weeks! Most of our conversation was her complaining about everyone in her life, including the 7 jobs she moved through (that were all the ultimate terrible situation, of course), her family, and her few "best" friends. All interactions she had, even from folks serving her coffee at Peet's, were perceived as condescending, judging and patronizing. And she felt she was always right - could never apologize for anything - and couldn't ever see the situation through a different lens even when kindly prompted.

I am sad she's left my life, and will grieve losing a friend. But within a couple of days already I feel a profound relief to not have to walk on eggshells in every aspect of my life just to be friends with her. Relationships can be a lot of work, but they shouldn't have serious price tags attached to them. For those commenting who have lived through this with a loved one, my sympathies and encouragement to all of you! And for those who think they might have this, kudos to your honesty and best wishes for developing new thinking patterns. There are some great people and experiences in the world if you can let them in!
28
Tom
My wife suffers from PPD and my marriage became an absolute nightmare. After 36 years and 2 children (both adults) I had to call it quits and I left her. Absolute heartbreak - but it is better living without her than living with the constant accusations - she took me to the brink of suicide. But then the divorce started and 1 year later is still going on. Every single fact, figure or event she disputes (we were in business together) and I still cannot see light at the end of the tunnel. God help anybody living with somebody who suffers from PPD.
29
Janice Paul
Last month, it was my birthday, the anniversary of my late husband’s death, and a time when I experienced another loss in my family. I was in total depression also because the gentleman I had been seeing for nearly a year decided to cut ties with me. All this happened at the same time, and my heart was broken. Then I found Dr Marvel ’s website, and all my luck turned around – especially because the master did a wonderful spell of Love for me and my dearest companion, who decided he had made a terrible mistake by leaving me. We even took a much-needed vacation. It meant the world to me, and I have you to thank for it Dr Marvel. his email is extremespellhome@hotmail.com OR extremespellhome@gmail.com. You can contact Dr Marvel for any kind of help you need. Janice P.
30
jessiebender
My husband has abandon me and the kids for the the past 8months now,
and refuse to come back because he was hold on by a woman whom he just met, for that, my self and the kids has been suffering and it has been heel of a struggle, but I decide to do all means to make sure that my family come together as it use to, then I went online there I saw so many good talk about this spell caster whose email is Holyspellcast@gmail.com Or Holyspellcast@yahoo.com so I had to contact him and explain my problem to him and in just 2days as he has promised, my husband came home and his behavior was back to the man i got married to. I cant thank the spell caster enough for what he did for me, i am so grateful and i will never stop to publish his name on the internet for the good work he has done for me,once again his email is Holyspellcast@gmail.com Or Holyspellcast@yahoo.com
31
Rivera
I had my long distance relationship for almost 4 years now, Our relationship was okay and good, but for some reasons I couldn't understand My ex boyfriend broke up with me for almost 3 weeks now, and it me sad, frustrated, devastated having mix emotions to face the reality that he doesn't want to work it out anymore, I dint know what else to do until i search and bumped into this testimonies regarding Love spell and i read some of those who had the same problem i had and until i found Dr. ochuko who can cast spells to bring your partner back at first i was hesitant to do so but eventually i tried his power to cast spell bring back your partner back because of his kind heated, generosity He did Help me and i am so happy to have contacted him, you can also contact him if you are facing relationship problem or marriage problem via his direct email: ochukopowerfullovespell@gmail.com

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