A personality disorder in which an individual suspects of other people harming him is?

RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2016

Mental Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2016

Explanation

The defining characteristic of Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) is a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others.
Individuals with PPD assume that others intend to exploit, harm, or deceive them, even without any evidence to support these beliefs.
This pattern of thinking is long-standing, inflexible, and causes significant functional impairment or subjective distress.
The other options listed are primarily mood disorders or episodes, not personality disorders defined by suspicion.

Option B: Melancholic is not a personality disorder but a specifier for Major Depressive Disorder. Its key features are severe anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), psychomotor retardation or agitation, and profound despondency, not suspicion of others.
Option C: Hypomaniac refers to a hypomanic episode, which is a feature of bipolar disorders. It is characterized by elevated mood, increased energy, and goal-directed activity, but not the pervasive suspicion described in the question.
Option D: Cyclothymic disorder is a chronic mood disorder involving numerous periods with hypomanic symptoms and periods with depressive symptoms. The core feature is mood instability, not a paranoid and suspicious personality structure.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Identification of Paranoid Personality Disorder based on its core symptom of suspicion as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must use a calm, consistent, and non-judgmental approach when caring for patients with PPD, as building trust is extremely difficult but crucial for effective care.
It is vital to involve these patients in their care planning to give them a sense of control, which can help reduce suspicion and improve adherence to treatment.
What if the patient's suspicious beliefs are fixed and unshakeable, even with contrary evidence? This might suggest a more severe condition like Delusional Disorder, persecutory type, which would require antipsychotic medication and a different therapeutic approach than that for PPD alone.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key concepts in the question stem: 'personality disorder' and 'suspects of other people harming him'.
The core feature described is pervasive suspicion and the belief of being harmed.
Next, evaluate each option based on this core feature.
Option A, 'Paranoid', directly corresponds to the definition of paranoia, which is a central element of Paranoid Personality Disorder.
Options B, C, and D ('Melancholic', 'Hypomaniac', 'Cyclothymic') are all related to mood states or mood disorders, not personality traits centered on suspicion.
Therefore, by matching the defining symptom in the question to the correct psychiatric term, 'Paranoid' is the only logical answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Identification of Paranoid Personality Disorder based on its core symptom of suspicion.
Stem keywords: personality disorder, suspects, harming
Lead-in keywords: is
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 1777-1779, 1783-1785, 1782-1784