Paranoid Personality Disorder or Conspiracy theorist?

Zealots love a conspiracy and there´s nothing anyone can do to HELP THEM get over the manifestation of what might even be THEIR personality disorder. So why do some people pull out all the stops to gather others with their same orientation to escalate their theories into hate, even into public shaming forums and as far as cyber stalking? Well the following info from Wikipedia on Paranoid Personality Disorder may help:

Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others. (DSM-IV) For a person´s personality to be considered a personality disorder, an enduring pattern of characteristic maladaptive behaviors, thinking and personality traits must be present from the onset of adolescence or early adulthood.

Those with paranoid personality disorder are hypersensitive, are easily slighted, and habitually relate to the world by vigilant scanning of the environment for clues or suggestions to validate their prejudicial ideas or biases. They tend to be guarded and suspicious and have quite constricted emotional lives. Their incapacity for meaningful emotional involvement and the general pattern of isolated withdrawal often lend a quality of schizoid isolation to their life experience. [1]

One of the most interesting things about zealous conspiracy theorists is you really CANNOT argue with them. It inflames them. And I´ve found it does no good at all to give them the facts, nor even invite them into an interview.

Furthermore, however illogical and irrational it may be, a conspiracy theorist can instantly elevate themselves to be an armchair expert on people they´ve either never met or met in such a limited or momentary manner that any stranger on a shared seat at a bus stop should also qualify. Yet they somehow narcissistically assume this right without hesitation.

A further section of Wikipedia´s entry on Paranoid Personality was interesting in this regard:

The ICD-10 lists paranoid personality disorder as F60.0 Paranoid Personality Disorder.

This personality disorder is characterized by at least 3 of the following:

(a) excessive sensitivity to setbacks and rebuffs;

(b) tendency to bear grudges persistently, i.e. refusal to forgive insults and injuries or slights;

(c) suspiciousness and a pervasive tendency to distort experience by misconstruing the neutral or friendly actions of others as hostile or contemptuous;

(d) a combative and tenacious sense of personal rights out of keeping with the actual situation;

(e) recurrent suspicions, without justification

(f) tendency to experience excessive self-importance, manifest in a persistent self-referential attitude;

(g) preoccupation with unsubstantiated "conspiratorial" explanations of events both immediate to the patient and in the world at large.

Interestingly, if this is added to another Personality Disorder, that of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, it is easy to imagine the drive of the two together would compound each other. It might also account for why such people may spend more time collectively building online hatred than actually living their daily lives (perhaps in a healthier, more diverse manner). To again quote from Wikipedia:

DSM IV-TR Criteria

"A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost.

Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)

Is excessively devoted to productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)

Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)

Shows rigidity and stubbornness

Is it possible we sometimes confuse those with such personality disorders with having Asperger´s? Could some with these personality disorders politically self-diagnose as ´Autistics´. Would such personality disorders be more common in some adults with Asperger´s? Whilst there are many warm, open minded, even easy going people with Asperger´s there are certainly some who may also have personality disorders, even of the kind mentioned above.

As someone diagnosed with autism and language processing disorder, am I also personality disordered?

Well, its hard not to have days, weeks, months or even years of one´s development where one might fit personality disorders for one´s own personality traits. Add co-morbid mood, anxiety, compulsive disorders and they push up the tempo on one´s personality traits.

And if conspiracy theorists want to project personality disorders onto me, that´s fair provided that they project onto me the personality disorders which actually fit my personality traits. To help them out, I´m solitary, idiosyncratic, vigilant, exuberant and self sacrificing. I´ll put my hands up to having managed any personality disorder manifestations of these traits, no problem. For the record, I have never had any formal diagnosis of a personality disorder although I can imagine my case might be less juicy for the conspiracy theorists if I had have ;-)

Donna Williams

http://www.donnawilliams.net

http://www.aspinauts.com