“Something that isn’t given a second thought by a person with a normal personality could drive a person with Paranoid Personality Disorder over the edge.”  

I have made a list of symptoms I have noticed in a recent study I did on someone who suffers from Paranoid Personality Disorder. It is a sad disorder to study. When you know a person has the potential to be a good person but they carry a disorder that will never allow it, it can be hard to watch.

• Secretive – People with PPD come across as secretive. They do not ask others many personal questions because they do not want to be asked anything. They walk in fear and are frightened easily as their mind is constantly processing who they have told what to. Their disorder is the ultimate secret they protect.

• Compulsive or Habitual Lying- PPD sufferers lie to avoid conflict like most people but do not realize it is only creating more conflict. They lie about who they are, who they have been, or where they are in their life. Every day of their life is a lie to someone, or everyone. They are incapable of honesty and are not trustworthy people.

In an extreme case of PPD John Doe was sitting at dinner with his family. When someone noticed a clock missing from the wall where it once hung, J.D. assured the family that robbers came and took it.

The children didn’t buy his story about the robbers and one child blurts out “A robber would have taken the computers”. Despite the child’s knowledge, J.D. kept insisting a robber took it and that perhaps it may have been a teenager.  His reasoning was that they took the clock over the computers because it was an easier target that could be seen through the back door.

 J.D. fed malicious lies to innocent children that night. He made them feel that their home had been violated. Until he was completely cornered with no way out, he continued to lie.

 Eventually J.D. professed partial truth as to what happened. He claimed that he accidentally broke the clock and was afraid others would be mad. The truth was, he broke it out of anger following an argument he had with someone over a different series of lies the week prior.

• Overly Organized – Because people with PPD are overly neat, clean, and organized they are often mistaken for having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Their organizational skills make them appear to be responsible and reliable. To society they get things done, and have it all together at first glance.

• Self-conscious – In cases of PPD patients are usually very uncomfortable in their own skin. They often are mistaken by others as being shy or timid. They fear being seen in swimwear and are very modest.  They will dress nice and be meticulous about their outward appearance. They may even rotate their clothing in fear of being seen in the same outfit too soon. They are known to live in some of the nicest of homes and driving some of the nicest vehicles.

The PPD patient I studied was afraid to eat in front of people. When social events surfaced he would sit and watch everyone else eat while making claims that he wasn’t hungry. Sometimes he would get something small and pick at it like a bird. He would take small bites when he knew nobody was paying attention as if eating were a secret. He would also chew his food with his hand blocking his mouth or with his elbow on the table and a napkin in his hand partially covering his face while he ate.

• Controlling – Because people with PPD can not control their thoughts, feelings, or actions they attempt to control others. They often control finances, and are known to micromanage everything they can.  In relationships they will monitor phone calls, texts, and emails. They may also attempt to control their partner’s social life.

• Impulsive and irrational decision makers – The actions of one suffering from PPD are unpredictable. When they are angry, hurt, or upset you will find them making one irrational decision after another. In fact, the patient in my recent study purchased three houses in two years. He lived in two of the houses with two different women. The other house was one that was being built, and eventually he threatened to sue the builder.

Due to the impulsive and irrational decision-making, people with PPD can easily be in debt. Because they must have the best of the best and have an undying need to be accepted socially, they think very little about the long-term effects their decisions or actions have on their life or the lives of others.

• Very few or no true friends or acquaintances – People with PPD are usually socially rejected. This causes the PPD patient to become more superficial and fake. They go to any extreme when trying to make a friend, and they are the complete opposite when they think they are losing someone. Their relationships usually end with threats of a lawsuit, or an official lawsuit.

            People with PPD will burn many bridges in their life.

• Everyone is out to get them – From friends to strangers and therapists, a person with PPD is convinced that everyone has a motive. They may walk around recording others with their audio equipment or phone. PPD patients will keep paper trails on everything, and will do anything else they see necessary to cover themselves.

People with PPD often provoke others regularly to record that other person’s one bad reaction. They can then use that one bad reaction someone else has towards them, to prove they are a victim and continue their behavior. When in reality, they are only a victim of their own personality disorder.

 In the patient I studied recently I was given their audio recorder. It was an entire recorder of conversations he had with other people. One particular recording however, stood out.

While meeting a friend one night J.D. got a name of someone to call for a referral. He needed a lawyer for his newest lawsuit. While calling the person to get a lawyers phone number and information, J.D. recorded the conversation.

 The person being called had never spoken to J.D. before and even questioned “who is this?” while on the phone.  

What would only be an innocent phone call to some people was something that required an audio recording to J.D. and his disorder. The depth of paranoia with J.D. was obviously pretty extreme to be recording a conversation that was so innocent, a conversation with a complete stranger.  

In another study, J.D. had agreed he needed help with his compulsions to lie and decided to enlist in the help of mental health professionals. He searched high and low for the perfect therapist.

In one calendar year three different therapists were chosen by J.D., and all three likely received completely different information from him. J.D. was careful who he picked in fear of being ganged up on by a therapist and his mate. In fact, in a text he said to his girlfriend, “I don’t want you guys ganging up on me!”

• Incapable of Intimate Relationships – Due to the lack of insight, PPD sufferers fake who they are to get a partner. They will portray to be everything that person wants in a mate as long as they can reel them in. This stems from their fear of being alone and rejected.

Sufferers of PPD  jump from relationship to relationship with very little time to realize their previous mistakes, let alone recover emotionally. They often accuse each of their partners of cheating. Note: This may cause severe problems because the partner being accused may think that they are only being accused because the sufferer from PPD is cheating. In most cases, the PPD sufferer has cheated.

Sufferers of PPD have also been known to put GPS trackers on cars of those they form intimate relationships with. They need to prove that this person is out to get them.

Sufferers of PPD also have a fear of being alone.

Although a relationship with someone who has PPD may start off great and appear to be that dream come true romance, the ending is always the same. Their partners discover the lies that formed the relationship, which in turn prompts them to leave in hopes for a life that is far less toxic. By loving someone with PPD we are forced to leave and love them less, or stay and stop loving ourselves.

People who are in relationships with sufferers of PPD are at great risk. If choosing to remove themselves from the relationship they are best off to do it very quietly. Otherwise, the reaction of the PPD sufferer may be severe.

• Stalker type behavior – People with PPD can be found with computer tracking software and phone pirating software. You may also find that they will often employ private investigators. When an investigator isn’t affordable they will borrow friend’s cars or use their own and conduct their own investigation.

• Secured Environment - PPD sufferers will most likely have a security system in their home, and cameras installed on the interior and/or exterior of their residences. They will be found locking their vehicle at all times. With them, everything has to be secure because they are such insecure people.

In one extreme case the person suffering from PPD had to have keys to get in and out of their house. When security was installed he made sure that if anyone went to leave the back door that they could not get out without a key. There were also doors in the house that needed keys.

• Anger Issues – People with PPD usually resort to physical violence in relationships. They clash with an intelligent mate who questions what doesn’t add up. Sufferers of PPD are known to break and destroy things. From physical property to people, a person with PPD can wreak havoc on any life they encounter.

PPD sufferers will do all they can to play victim. In their mind they are seldom at fault and for that reason they seldom apologize. They will run to whoever they can in attempt to have someone take their side. They only need one person who doesn’t understand their disorder to tell them they were wronged. In doing this; every action of theirs whether rational or irrational quickly becomes justified.

What a person with PPD appears to be to others is more important to them than who they really are.  What they neglect to realize is that they are that person they see when they are all alone. Because they fear loneliness and facing themselves,  they will go to great lengths to have people in their life. Whereas others will go to great lengths to keep those suffering from PPD as far removed from their personal lives as possible. 

© Angela Bininger and The Empowerers, 2009-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Angela Bininger and The Empowerers with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.