Cluster A: Paranoid Characteristics (Nursing)

00:01 If you have a patient who has a paranoid personality disorder.

00:07 Understand that it comes with certain characteristics.

00:11 For example, they do not trust you.

00:14 This excessive and pervasive mistrust is in every thing that they do.

00:20 It's not just about you.

00:22 It's really important for us, as nurses to remove ourselves as being an important part of that person's life.

00:30 And instead, see the person for who they are and understand that their mistrust is not something that they have control over.

00:39 This feeling of suspiciousness is not purposeful towards us.

00:46 It is actually part of their thought composition.

00:50 They also may suspect other people.

00:53 They might tell you, "Oh, my roommate really wants to hurt me.

00:57 I'm having a hard time sleeping at night because I know that my roommate, as soon as I go to sleep is going to do something to me, that's really bad." There doesn't need to be any evidence of this.

01:10 Again, I want for you, as a nurse to really find in your heart and in your soul.

01:16 And imagine how difficult it must be to see the world through the eyes of someone who cannot trust.

01:25 Also, when we are thinking about the person who has paranoia, they might have jealousness.

01:33 There's a jealousy that comes in where they want to then control the people around them.

01:38 They might be looking at you and thinking, "Well, this person seems to like me, but then I see, I see that person talking to Mr. X.

01:49 And she seems to be just as nice to Mr. X.

01:52 I think I want to make sure she doesn't talk to Mr. X, again." Again, remember, they don't have control over these kinds of thoughts.

02:02 We want to make sure that we are helping them to very slowly understand that it's not only about them.

02:12 Their preoccupation with everyone around them, with worrying that someone has more than them, or someone's out to get them.

02:20 Or it just seems like in the world, no matter where they land, their boss doesn't likes them.

02:27 This is part of their thought composition.

02:30 It's what their story is.

02:32 It's how they walk out of their house.

02:35 They might be very reluctant to even talk to you about anything.

02:39 They're suspicious of you.

02:41 They want to keep all of their information to themselves, because information is power.

02:47 And that would be sharing their power with you.

02:51 And finally, they can be very, very sensitive to criticism.

02:56 Even something that you don't think is criticism.

02:59 They might take it and really hold a grudge against you for something you said, something that you don't even understand.

03:07 So let's just take one little step back and wonder how this can develop in a person.

03:13 And if you can imagine a child, a child who is not safe.

03:17 A baby who is not safe in their own house.

03:21 And how everything that is done or said is made to them to be the reason why mom doesn't ever have anything fun in our life.

03:31 Or the reason why, dad is drinking, Or why don't you just shut up as a baby whose still trying to learn how to speak.

03:40 And realizing that the only way to save yourself at the age of two would be to worry about everyone else because everyone is a threat to you.

03:52 And that gets cemented in as a pattern of thinking in your own mind.

03:58 So let's think about a patient who might have a paranoid personality disorder.

04:03 So when told that he was scheduled that to interview a patient with a paranoid personality disorder, the student nurse anticipated finding, what? What could the student nurse think would be what he sees or she would see? A charming, dramatic, seductive, and admiring seeking person? A person who had a preoccupation with suspicion, magical thinking, and distrust.

04:33 Perhaps a person who had a difficult time being alone, who is submissive, indecisive.

04:41 Or perhaps somebody who had grandiosity.

04:44 Somebody who felt that they were entitled to everything.

04:47 We just talked about this paranoid personality disorder.

04:52 And if you said it would be B, you are 100% right.

04:56 This is the person who has suspicions and who has distrustful of just about everyone, and who believes that magical thinking is the answer.