Paranoid Personality Disorder Essay Example for Free

Paranoid Personality Disorder Essay Joe Fuller I. Introduction and Identifying Information Intelligence of a person somehow defines him/her. Through intelligence, a person will know his capacities and abilities and where he is good at. It boosts someone’s self- esteem and improves the confidence he had in himself. If you’re intelligent, you can possibly do and deal with anything especially if you have a very brilliant mind. An intelligent person knows how to deal with people and accept their mistakes and imperfections. Intelligence adds confidence but overconfidence that leads to mistrust and hostility is another issue. Intelligence must also be balanced with the emotional quotient which everyone must work hard for. Such is not the case at hand. The patient is a male whose name is Joe. He lived in a lower middle- class neighborhood in a large, northeastern city. His father is a steamfitter and his mother is a home maker. He had 2 older brothers and a younger sister. When Joe was 11 years old, his grandmother started living with them. His grandmother is already invalid and is not already capable to take care of herself after Joe’s grandfather died. Joe was exceptionally bright student. Yet, he had several chaotic relationships with his family, friends and other people around him. Later on, he developed anxiety and panic attacks that made him consult to a doctor. Then the doctor referred him to go to a psychiatrist. II. Background Information History and Course of the Present Problem The patient is described to be exceptionally bright and overconfident. He was admitted to a prestigious high school and college. He was an â€Å"A† student and often made jokes about people who â€Å"couldn’t make the grade. † Whenever a teacher made a mistake in class, Joe was always the first to laugh and make a side comment. He avoided group activities and issues with relationships. He couldn’t trust everyone and he was very suspicious. He liked to work alone over his projects because he always thought that people will steal his ideas. Joe would always think that he was the best and nobody could compete with him. The patient had argued with a teacher about a grade and after that he heard one of his classmates say, â€Å"I don’t know why some people have to work so hard for everything†. Joe took this comment as an insult to his family so Joe decided to get revenge. So while this student is attending a basketball game, Joe found his car and poured sugar in his gas tank. Suddenly, he started experiencing panic attacks that resulted him to go for a check-up. Current and Past Medical History The patient went to a doctor because he wanted a treatment for his anxiety and panic attacks. He had palpitations, sensations of shortness of breath, chest pain and nausea or abdominal stress. But his panic attacks are not associated with agoraphobia. Joe felt that he had no mental disorder at all. The doctor prescribed him Tofranil, an anti-depressant. But Joe had more knowledge on how this drug affected neurological mechanisms than the doctor. The said treatment was unsuccessful because Joe did not think that he has a personality disorder. The doctor, which he named as Dr. Fein, did not have any prior knowledge that Joe might have a paranoid personality disorder. Joe was not open to his life and Dr. Fein should have considered the possibility that Joe has a paranoid personality disorder that is why he behaved the way he did. Right now, Joe’s panic attacks still continued. Social History Joe is said to be rude and arrogant. His first steady relationship is with Carla but then later on, Carla broke up with him. Joe wanted to get revenge. Since then, he became extremely suspicious of women’s intentions. One time, Joe made fun of a guy talking to his date at a party. Joe always finds chaos with others. He argued with a professor for receiving a B+ instead of an A. Joe began to date his future wife Ruth. He also got his first job working with a drug company. Joe on his first job This is an ideal position for Joe. But he was asked by his boss to stop his independent research. Joe behaved with hostility towards his co-workers. Because of this continuous attitude, Joe was asked to resign after 3 years. Joe on his second job Joe took a job working in a university. Joe didn’t like his new job. He was asked again to curtail his independent research. He was asked to work in a new employee and suspected he was a spy. Joe accused the university in trying to kill him with radiation in the laboratory. Later on, Joe was fired and he took another job which is driving a taxi cab. Familial Relationship According to the patient, his father is mentally ill and he believed that he was being disregarded by his family. He was estranged to his family and friends and he believes that â€Å"he had nothing†. As a middle child, he felt that he is being left out so he needs to step up in everything he must do. In an early age, he became hypersensitive to the evaluation of others and believed that the world is a hostile place persecuted for being different. Later in his life, he married Ruth and they had a daughter. Their marital relationship has been putted on the rocks for a lot of times because of misunderstanding and Joe’s paranoia about his wife. Later on, Ruth recognized that Joe was overreacting to minor events. Joe then suggested that Ruth was a part of the conspiracy that people were trying to steal his ideas. After some years, Joe and Ruth divorced. Until now, he is still convinced that Ruth betrayed him. Typical Problem The patient’s life story stems up from his place in the family. In an early age, he faced struggles that led him to become suspicious of the motives of people to him. Since he’s very intelligent, he assumes that he knows everything and people are trying to steal his ideas that led him to have poor relationships with others. He received a comment before that struck his ego and saw it as an insult, so he always wanted to have revenge with people. The patient thinks that he is the best and nobody can beat him. He developed anxiety and panic attacks, which is a manifestation of Paranoid Personality Disorder, but still he thinks that he is not ill and he is mentally stable. A Misunderstanding of Some Sort When Joe went to a psychiatrist whose name is Dr. Flein, he reported their for treatment of his anxiety and panic attacks. The doctor gave him an anti-depressant drug without considering the other manifestations in the personality of the patient. Dr. Flein just thought that it was only a simple anxiety disorder, but he never takes the regard to consider Paranoid Personality Disorder on Joe.