At Visions Treatment Centers, we approach teen paranoid personality disorder treatment through a long-term therapy process, helping adolescents identify and address harmful thoughts and behaviors.
Paranoid personality disorder describes a persistent pattern of distrusting others and being suspicious of peers for little to no reason. Teens with paranoid personality disorder will assume others are out to harm them with no evidence and will consistently struggle with fear regarding other people’s intentions across settings and groups, including family members, classmates, teachers, and friends.
This can manifest in a variety of harmful ways, including aggressive standoffishness, hypervigilance resulting in violence, passive aggressiveness and aloofness, distancing and isolating oneself from others, and a deeply sardonic attitude towards friends and peers when suspicions arise. Teens with paranoid personality disorder may seem cold or isolated, are overly critical of others, and feel the need to control those around them.
While the causes behind paranoid personality disorder remain unknown, researchers have found potential genetic links to instances of schizophrenia and psychosis (delusional thinking or hallucinations) in the family. As with most personality disorders, trauma may also play a significant role in developing or triggering symptoms, especially unfounded suspicion, and paranoia.