A personality type characterized by unwarranted distrust and a false belief that others perform actions or make comments for malicious purposes.
It is more frequent in men and a genetic component has been described. Physical or emotional abuse during childhood favors its appearance.
It is frequently associated with other diseases such as: anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol consumption and/or schizophrenia.
It manifests with unfounded suspicions towards other people, who want to deceive them, harm them and swindle them. They are in a state of alertness looking for hidden meanings in the face of possible scorn, insults or threats from the people around them. They feel continuously threatened for no reason and have difficulty in establishing relationships because they do not trust others or for fear that the information they share will be used against them.
The diagnosis is clinical, by means of a directed interrogation, carried out by a mental health professional. The approach can be complex due to low awareness of the disease or lack of trust in the professional.
Treatment is mainly psychotherapeutic, although psychotropic drugs may be added to treat specific symptoms.
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- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
- Zimmerman M, Rothschild L, Chelminski I. The prevalence of DSM-IV personality disorders in psychiatric outpatients. Am J Psychiatry 2005; 162:1911.
