Paranoid Personality Research

Phoenix is a 28 year old woman who is currently a full-time student and unemployed. She is in a domestic partnership and she has a son, which is not legally her partner’s. She stays at home most days and waits for her son to come home from school and her partner to come home from her job. Phoenix constantly ponders thoughts of her partner’s fidelity to their partnership.

Personality disorders are included as mental disorders on Axis II of the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association and in the mental and behavioral disorders section of the ICD manual of the World Health Organization Personality disorders are conditions in which an individual differs significantly from an average person, in terms of how they think, perceive, feel or relate to others. Changes in how a person feels and distorted beliefs about other people can lead to odd behavior, which can be distressing and may upset others There are three recognized personality disorder clusters, cluster A odd and eccentric, Paranoid Personality Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder dramatic and emotional, Borderline Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder and anxious and fearful Avoidant Personality Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Personality Disorders: Management

Paranoid Personality Disorder is classified by the DSM-IV-TR as a Cluster A personality disorder with onset usually by early adulthood (APA, 2000). The disorder has been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) since its conception in 1952 (Falkum, Pedersen, & Karterud, 2009). PPD is noted by some researchers to be one of the most common, and severe types of personality disorder; consequently, because of the suspicious nature of the individuals presenting with the illness, treatment may be more impervious but of greater concern is the fact that many individuals will go undiagnosed and untreated because of the reluctance to seek treatment at all (Esterberg, Goulding, & Walker, 2010; MacManus & Fahy, 2008).

As the number of the older adults is increasing so are those living with depression; therefore, it is important that perceptions around older adult depression be studied. According to the study done by the US Department of Commerce, it is estimated that the older adult population will more than likely double by 2050 and of 80 million and many as 1 in 5 Americans would be considered as an older adult (US Department of Commerce, 1995). There are many losses that accompany the aging process. These include the loss of loved ones and their independence. They begin to feel as though they will depend on their families for the rest of their lives. These factors scare them and causes many of the individuals to suffer from depression. One of the most predominant health problems in the United States is mental health. In the last 20th century, mental illness treatment has been through diverse changes in the United States. These changes have made it necessary for the policy and law makers to enact a law to protect the identity and integrity for people with mental health illness. Most individuals diagnosed with mental health illness are most often being ostracized and stigmatized. Because of social stigma attached to the individual with mental illness, their privacy is being violated and it has created so many issues in mental health.

In a journal article written by John Mirowsky and Catherine E. Ross they focus on how social positions cause victimization which in return leads to paranoia. They believe that individuals with paranoia believe they have no control of their lives and are living in fear of being harmed by outside sources.

It’s estimated that the onset of 50% of chronic mental illnesses occurs by the age of fourteen, and about 75% by the age of 24 (NAMI, 2015). The most common mental health diagnoses in the United States are mood disorders, which include the spectrums of anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, 60% of adults and 50% of youth did not receive medical services for their mental health conditions in the previous fiscal year (NAMI, 2015).

The graph below, featured in a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, reveals that although there has been a slight decrease in the proportion of youth with mental illness, youth aged 16-24 still have the highest prevalence of mental disorders of all age groups. Approximately 26% or 671,000 youth experienced a mental illness in 2007 alone. Comparatively, less than 10% of people aged 65+ experienced a mental illness, although the prevalence in this age group has increased since 1997 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2014). Although senior citizens have good mental health in general, due to stigmatism they are less likely than other age groups to seek help, often waiting until they desperately need assistance (Health Direct

Unbeknownst to many, mental illness is very prevalent in society today. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) performed a study on the prevalence of mental illness among adults. The results were 32.4% of adults admitted to having some kind of mental illness within the last 12 months (Bagalman & Napili, 2014). However two thirds of these people do not seek treatment. Treatment is not sought out because of the stigma mental illness has (Thompson, 2011). People do not want to be labeled as needing medication for their illness. Mental illness can be treated and psychotic breaks prevented if people did not have a

The diagnostic process for personality disorders currently covers a broad scope of various tests and symptoms, causing a source of frustration for psychiatrists (Aldhous). The symptoms and side effects of several personality disorders can tend to blur together, making diagnosis challenging (Aldhous). Most psychiatric patients are diagnosed with several personality disorders at once, with twenty percent of people with personality disorders simply diagnosed with a “personality disorder not otherwise specified” (Aldhous). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, commonly referred to as the DSM, psychiatrists attempt with great difficulty to categorize their patients into a specific disorder, only to diagnose

The personality of Jared Loughner and the reports about the content of his writing, along with his later actions, present us with clear signs of mental disorders of a psychotic nature. Based on the information made public by law enforcement, Loughner exhibits the symptoms and signs of an individual who suffers from a delusional disorder, as well as schizotypal personality disorder and possibly schizophrenia. Even though he can be described as an educated, well informed, and fairly intelligent individual, the psychotic messages and behavior presented by Loughner present no doubts with regard to the presence of mental illnesses. Many behavioral specialists and medical professionals have argued against a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Dombeck, M., Hoermann, S., Zupanick, E.C. (2011). Personality Disorders: Problems with current diagnostic system. MentalHelp. Retrieved on 14th March, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=569

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “older adults are at an increased risk of depression, because depression is more common in people who have other illnesses, and 80% of older adults have a chronic condition” (CDC, 2017). The CDC also mentions that older adults are often misdiagnosed or undertreated, because the symptoms may be thought to be the cause of something else, or the patient doesn’t understand that treatment would be beneficial and do not seek help.

Mental disorders are becoming more prevalent in today's society as people add stress and pressure to their daily lives. The elderly population is not eliminated as a candidate for a disorder just because they may be retired. In fact, mental disorders affect 1 in 5 elderly people. One would think that with disorders being rather prevalent in this age group that there would be an abundance of treatment programs, but this is not the case. Because the diagnosis of an individual's mental state is subjective in nature, many troubled people go untreated regularly (summer 1998). Depression in the elderly population is a common occurrence, yet the diagnosis and treatment seem to slip

According to the American Psychiatric Association “Studies show that seniors are at greater risk of some mental disorders and their complications than younger people, and many of these illnesses can be accurately diagnosed and treated.”(American Psychiatric Association, 2015, para. 1). Although many of the illnesses can be treated, many go undiagnosed due to the fact that many individuals do not understand mental illnesses and some seniors are reluctant to seek psychiatric care due to being ashamed or believing that their symptoms are a part of aging that everyone experiences. It is not just the seniors and their family or friends that fail to recognize symptoms of mental illness, even their doctors may mistake a symptom of mental illness for another illness or problem associated with older adults.

person is has an image of a world and its transpiring events, and he/she is