Individuals who suffer from paranoid personality disorder do not trust others and are always suspicious of the people around them, believing that people have malicious intent towards them. People who suffer from this disorder also interpret the actions and words of others as deceptive or threatening. As a result, they rarely share information with people, they constantly believe statements have underlying meanings or threats, and they often can’t justify their suspicions towards others.
What Age Does Paranoid Personality Disorder Develop?
People often begin to experience these paranoid thoughts and behaviors by their early twenties. However, some people have these experiences during their childhood and adolescent years.
What Causes Paranoid Personality Disorder?
Childhood trauma and social stress are often contributing factors to the development of paranoid personality disorder. Early signs include difficulty with social relationships, hypersensitivity, and misunderstanding circumstances. People with this disorder often blame and attack others around them for their negative actions, mistakes, and misfortunes.
Paranoid Personality Disorder and Substance Abuse Disorder
It’s not uncommon for people with this disorder to develop alcohol or substance abuse disorders, especially since their ability to maintain healthy relationships with people diminishes over time. People often avoid them due to their accusatory and combative nature, making them feel more isolated and paranoid. People suffering from this disorder may consider their isolation as evidence that other people are against them. To cope with these difficulties, they may self-medicate by turning to drugs and alcohol.
Unfortunately, it’s common for people with mental health conditions to suffer from alcohol or substance abuse disorder since they use these substances to relieve stress. Because alcohol and drugs are mind-altering substances, they can worsen symptoms of mental illness conditions. Some substances that can worsen paranoia include cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, marijuana, alcohol, hallucinogens, and bath salts. These substances can cause paranoia whether individuals are under the influence or having withdrawals.
Treatment Options for Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorder
When individuals suffer from both paranoid personality disorder and substance abuse disorder, it’s best that they enroll in a treatment facility that treats both issues simultaneously. If not, the untreated mental illness symptoms can prevent the patient from remaining sober, while untreated substance abuse issues can prevent the mental health treatment plan from working.
Patients can seek professional help from rehabilitation centers or alternative treatment centers.
Alternative Treatment Centers in Tennessee
Discovery Place is an alternative treatment center located in Burns, Tennessee, that was established to assist people with recovering from substance abuse disorder. Discovery Place is a nontraditional treatment center that has partnerships with some of the best private practice providers along with an excellent 12-step immersion program. Some of our services include a 30-Day Alternative Residential Addiction Recovery Program and a Long-Term Alternative Addiction Recovery Program. Our facility offers the highest level of care at an extremely affordable cost. If you would like more information regarding our facility, call us today to set up a free consultation at (800) 725-0922.
