Chapter 12 : Mental health

The main reason why Fatine left Oussama is because she has mental issues and personality disorders too , and she could know how to express it to him , but he already knew .

°Paranoid personality disorder ? hmm , Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) is one of a group of conditions called Cluster A or eccentric personality disorders. People with these disorders often appear odd or peculiar. The essential characteristic of people with PPD is paranoia, a relentless mistrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason to be suspicious. This disorder often begins in childhood or early adolescence and appears to be more common in men than in women. Studies estimate that PPD affects between 2.3% and 4.4% of the general population. What causes paranoid personality disorder? , The exact cause of PPD is not known, but it likely involves a combination of biological and psychological factors. The fact that PPD is more common in people who have close relatives with schizophrenia and delusional disorder suggests a genetic link between the two disorders (may run in the family). It is also believed that early childhood experiences, including physical or emotional trauma, play a role in the development of PPD.

and what are the symptoms of paranoid personality disorder ? , well People with PPD are always on guard, believing that others are constantly trying to demean, harm, or threaten them. These generally unfounded beliefs, as well as their habits of blame and distrust, interfere with their ability to form close or even workable relationships. People with this disorder:

- Doubt the commitment, loyalty, or trustworthiness of others, believing others are exploiting or deceiving them.

-Are reluctant to confide in others or reveal personal information because they are afraid the information will be used against them.

-Are unforgiving and hold grudges.

-Are hypersensitive and take criticism poorly.

-Read hidden meanings in the innocent remarks or casual looks of others.

-Perceive attacks on their character that are not apparent to others; they generally react with anger and are quick to retaliate.

-Have persistent suspicions, without reason, that their spouses or lovers are being unfaithful.

-Are generally cold and distant in their relationships with others, and might become controlling and jealous to avoid being betrayed.

-Cannot see their role in problems or conflicts, believing they are always right.

-Have difficulty relaxing.

-Are hostile, stubborn, and argumentative.

-Tend to develop negative stereotypes of others, especially those from different cultural groups.

Paranoid Personality Disorder is a type of psychological personality disorder characterized by an extreme level of distrust and suspicion of others. Paranoid personalities are generally difficult to get along with, and their combative and distrustful nature often elicits hostility in others. The negative social interactions that result from their behavior then serve to confirm and reinforce their original pessimistic expectations. Needless to say, those with PPD are unlikely to form many close relationships and are typically perceived as cold and distant. They are quick to challenge the loyalty of friends and loved ones and tend to carry long grudges. In the same time , they kept themselves by avoiding normal social interactions which means they do less involvement in some part of outdoor events .

Hence , the prevalence for this disorder has been estimated to be as high as 4.5% of the general population and occurs more commonly in male whereas female depressive patients was significantly higher than that in male depressive patients (63.5% versus 40.0%) . As results 51.9 percent of the depressive patients were diagnosed as personality disorder, 31.4% were diagnosed as at least two personality disorders, and that in normal people was 14.7% .

Eventually , there should probably some methods to aware and generate demand voluntarily desire to change their personality defects which included some techniques personal training and self healing for instance . It is to help individual to take the initiative to carry out friends activities, friends learn to trust in other and analyze their own irrational beliefs .

°Schizoid personality disorder , estimated at occurring in less than 1% of the general population, is characterized by a lack of interpersonal relationships and lack of desire to seek such relationships. People who meet diagnostic criteria for schizoid PD tend to organize their lives in a manner that results in limited interaction with others, generally selecting occupations that require little social connectedness even if such positions fall below their level of ability. Thinking of themselves as observers rather than as participants in the world around them, individuals with schizoid PD manifest a tendency to sacrifice intimacy in order to preserve the autonomy that is required to maintain beliefs of self-sufficiency and independence). Vague, impoverished, or concrete speech and cognition, as well as limited eye contact, gesturing, inflection, or tonal changes in speech further hampers communication). Vague, impoverished, or concrete speech and cognition, as well as limited eye contact, gesturing, inflection, or tonal changes in speech further hampers communication. This can lead to a tendency to form emotional attachments to objects or animals, and in general, individuals with schizoid PD are often viewed as withdrawn, reclusive, isolated, and dull . However, although the two disorders are all categorized by "odd and eccentric" behaviors, it is important to differentiate them from one another. For example, SPD represents a unique combination of both cognitive-perceptual experiences and social and interpersonal deficits, while PPD is characterized more by paranoia- and suspicious-related "positive" symptoms in the absence of negative-like symptoms and schizoid PD is characterized more by extreme social isolation caused from a lack of desire for interpersonal relationships in the absence of positive-like symptoms. Furthermore, while SPD and schizoid PD can both be characterized by these negative-like symptoms and interpersonal deficits, SPD can be distinguished from schizoid PD in that the social deficits and anxiety evidenced in those with SPD stem more from paranoid fears about others rather than the lack of desire for close relationships that is part of the clinical picture of schizoid PD.

Knowing the symptoms of this mental illness it is easy to see why it is difficult to be in a relationship with or to care about someone with schizoid personality disorder. Even with close family members, there is little intimacy or closeness. As someone who cares for a family member or friend with this condition, one of the most productive things you can do is encourage him or her to get professional treatment.Personality disorders are chronic illnesses and are difficult to treat, because those people living with these conditions have a very hard time realizing that there is something wrong with how they think and behave. If you can convince the person in your life to be evaluated and treated, the outcome will depend on their willingness to recognize their symptoms and to work to change them.

Schizoid personality disorder treatment is largely based on therapy, as there are no medications to treat the condition. Behavioral therapy can help someone make positive changes to how they interact with other people. While he or she may never be able to have the types of relationships other people do, it is possible to learn how to better interact, show emotion, and develop some degree of closeness. Group support and therapy can also be very useful for someone with schizoid personality disorder, as it can be a safe place to practice interpersonal skills. Another important thing to do as someone who cares for an individual with this personality disorder is to learn more about it. And when you do you will realize that this person will always be limited in terms of intimacy and social relationships. That means you can adjust your own expectations to avoid being disappointed. You can't get more out of this individual than he or she is able to give. Know that your relationship will never be as close as those you have with other people and that it will be unique, and you will be able get more satisfaction from this relationship. And When you realize that the relationship with this person is not going to be what you hoped, you can change the focus and take away some pressure. People with schizoid personality disorder do better with interpersonal relationships that are not based on emotion, when they focus on work or other activities. When spending time with this person, engage in some kind of activity that is unemotional an intellectual activity or a project. This will help you engage without pressuring your loved one to express emotions.

Living with schizoid personality disorder in someone you care about is always going to be difficult. The most positive things you can do include getting your loved one treatment, adjusting your expectations for closeness and emotional response, taking pressure away from him or her, and focusing on less emotionally demanding experiences and activities.

Avoidant personality disorder , (APD), is one of the most socially hindering types of psychological problems known to humanity. From the moment a person is born, they begin to develop their own identity, their own personality. Many different factors come into play during the development of one's personality. Unfortunately, each individual personality may also contain a personality disorder. The American Psychiatric Association describes APD as a persuasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning in childhood and present in a variety of contexts. When a person views himself or herself as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others, these are all considered symptoms of APD. Other symptoms of APD include: the unwillingness to be involved in activities with others unless there is a certainty of being liked, a constant preoccupation with being criticized or rejected in social situations, and the hesitation to engage in new activities for the fear that they may prove embarrassing . Although many people with this disorder still have the ability to relate to others appropriately, that is not always the case. In some cases, a person with APD may end up living a life of near isolation . Avoidants, people that suffer from APD, use these traits to hurt others in an emotional aspect so that they can avoid a close relationship with them. They like to display their hostility in an ?open? manner by insulting people who try to be friendly. The reasoning behind this behavior is very simple. By the avoidants initiating the first rejection, they are also able to project themselves away from the other person at the same time. This brings about the effect of the avoidant rejecting themself, rather than face rejection from the other person. The basic principle behind all of this rejection is the idea that if the other person is rejected first, the avoidant finds their own rejection less painful because they did not like that person anyway . Most of the time avoidants reject people who would have never rejected them in the first place . It is the fear of possible rejection that drives them to do this. Another affected element in an avoidant's life is their speech pattern. In fact, most avoidants use frequent pauses, and speak very slow, while other avoidants may try to be outgoing, possibly due to the false belief that continuous talking will prevent death, an avoidants worst fear . APD sufferers have difficulty beginning and keeping relationships. Avoidants will often test others to determine whether they are being truthful in their friendship. Because they may frequently see rejection where it does not exist, the people tested tend to fail these tests and then later are avoided, again based in the fear that they may reject or humiliate those with APD. In some cases, avoidants may try to be a perfectionist and reject anyone who does not live up to their perfect standards. Some people that have APD even believe that they must avoid intimacy because giving love to others reduces the energy they have available for themselves and that they need for their own life. Avoidants tend to have low self-esteem and believe that they are unworthy of being in successful relationships. Experts have connected heredity and prenatal maternal factors with APD. There is scientific evidence that proves that a child that lives in a timid environment in infancy is prone to develop APD later in life. Another important factor that contributes to the development of APD is parental rejection. Parental Rejection can destroy a child?s optimism, leaving them with feelings of social isolation. A common question that a forsaken child might ask would be, If my parents won't accept me, then who will?? A second factor that APD can be derived from is peer rejection. When a child's friends begin to jest and make fun of them, avoidants begin to criticize themselves. When children can not turn to their peers or parents for a relationship, they learn to cope with rejection by drawing their outward emotions inward.APD usually surfaces in the later teen years to early adulthood. An equal amount of both men and women are affected by this disorder. According to a study by Greenberg & Stravynski, more men are being referred for professional help than women are. One possible reason for the difference in this demographic is that society usually expects men to be the initiators in relationships with women.Currently, there are two major divisions of treatments for this personality disorder: pharmacological and psychotherapy therapy. Depending whether the patient is suicidal or not determines how the psychiatrist, or therapist, will decide to treat the individual. All methods of treatment begin with the solidification of an alliance between the patient and therapist to prevent early fears of rejection. Doctors can, and often do, prescribe many different types of medication for patients suffering from APD. These drugs fall under the classification of antidepressants. Imipramine, desipramine hydrochloride, doxepin, chlordiazepoxide, and diazepam are some common antidepressants . One method used in psychotherapy is avoidance reduction. Avoidance reduction is a technique in which an avoidant is slowly introduced into accepting environments little by little. It is similar to techniques found in other types of psychotherapies. There are three main approaches used in avoidance reduction: supportive therapy, positive comments, and reassurance. These three approaches give the patient encouragement to engage in what seems to be normal, everyday activity. The irony comes in the fact that avoidants are not likely to go to a support group or attend regular appointments with a therapist because of their tremendous fear of rejection. All successful methods of treatment must begin with the solidification of an alliance between the patient and therapist in order to prevent premature fears of rejection.