Importance of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Treatment

Research has suggested positive outcomes in the treatment of Paranoid Personality Disorder with the utilization of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in both group and individual settings. Paranoid Personality Disorder is maintained through a deeply ingrained system of maladaptive beliefs involving paranoia, a reinforcement of said beliefs due to an information bias, and a lack of skills to provide adaptation. The viewpoint that others are seen as the problem has been reinforced to lead them to behavioral responses such as withdrawal or retaliation. CBT can be effective in altering this belief system by increasing their awareness of their projective tendencies. PPD alone does not currently have a lot of evidence-based practice recommendations largely due to the nature of this disorder making treatment difficult because of the larger importance and focus on building a sound therapeutic alliance that may take longer than with other clients or diagnoses. Once a therapeutic relationship is built, however, this can be a huge leap for treatment. This reference manual was meant to assist clinicians in research suggestions for therapeutic intervention, as well as inform other professionals on the diagnosis of Paranoid Personality Disorder and the positive impact that CBT can serve in treatment settings.

Goals/objectives of work

 To learn clinical strategies concerning the treatment of Paranoid Personality Disorder with the use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

• To understand client experiences and presenting issues that may be more common to those with Paranoid Personality Disorder.
• To outline strengths, limitations and general goals of treatment of PPD with CBT.
• To understand the impact clinical treatment can serve for those with PPD.

Tasks completed and impact of work

I chose this project as it highlights a mode of treatment and outlines research that suggests positive results for those that may be experiencing Paranoid Personality Disorder. The nature of this disorder can be extremely hard to live with, as tendencies include self-isolation out of innate distrust of others. The hope for this work was to reach both clients and clinicians and provide a reference guide that may be beneficial in treatment as it works to validate lived experiences, as well as includes clinical suggestions that may ultimately instill hope for treatment access and utilization.

Lessons Learned

In my last six years of experience and education in the field of Social Work, I have learned of several strategies and interventions that have shown to be beneficial with an array of clients. The work during my DSM-5 psychopathology class, however, really stood out to me in terms of client differences and awareness of treatment considerations to differential diagnosis. With this perspective in mind, I have also learned the commonality between humans for our thought processing to be more problem-driven or focused. This thought process can assist in framing cognitive distortions to our everyday experiences and to our relationships. CBT can be extremely impactful to the reframent of these maladaptive thoughts. With this reference or work in particular, a common conflict with clients diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder is that these clients are likely to have an inherent wish to experience relationships and friendships, but may not be capable of maintaining them due to a lack of trust and compulsive need of control. This is where the benefit of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in the treatment of PPD can serve.

Skills, competencies, and/or capacities learned

• Identify and articulate client strengths and vulnerabilities.
• Use knowledge of lived experiences and cultural considerations to guide treatment planning and intervention.
• Identify strengths and limitations to treatment of differential diagnosis and treatment.
• Assess client coping strategies to reinforce and improve adaptation to life situations, circumstances and events.
• Engage in reflective practice.
• Evaluate, select, and implement appropriate multidimensional assessment, diagnostic, intervention, and practice evaluation tools.
• Research and apply knowledge of diverse populations to enhance client well-being.