Difference between PPD and Paranoid Sz

Hi,

Recently found out about this section. So I was wondering what is the difference between these two mental illnesses.

Years ago I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but I did not experience any hallucinations. Some of my thoughts are paranoid by nature but some are real(people mocking me, backstabbed by peers, observed by neighbors, etc...), else the symptoms and traits I have seems to be related to this PD, though not sure if "idea of reference" is counted. The paranoia feelings are reactive depending on experiences with certain situations and environment..

Someone in the mental health profession told me the difference is that if you have Paranoid Personality Disorder--medications don't help that much, rather, committing to intensive therapy for a long time is how you treat it. She also mentioned that if you have PPD, you could jump to delusions quickly and easily. Another person, a psychiatrist, told me that with schizophrenia, you don't have to hear voices or see things that aren't there, rather, it could be a significant change in effect (I think she meant severe changes in how they act and present--I find this article interesting: Emotion in Schizophrenia: Where Feeling Meets Thinking) I would surmise that that comment means that medications are an important part in the treatment of Paranoid Schizophrenia (though therapy is probably needed too but the emphasis might be different?) Have you asked a psychiatrist or psychologist?

Hi there.

I’m perhaps a little late to this, but have been told by the therapist that there are elements of this in how I interact with people.

From what I understand, the difference between this personality disorder and paranoid schizophrenia is the slightly different use of the word “paranoid”.
In schizophrenia, it is used to describe a break from reality which can be bizarre in nature. This may look something like believing a person/group/entity is out to cause harm.
In PPD, the “paranoia” can be more a misinterpretation of people’s intentions, so there is an element of thinking “that person wants to badmouth/hurt/deceive me”, but it is more how the person with PPD interprets an interaction than having all-consuming thoughts and beliefs that they are being harmed or that someone/something is set out to harm them. There isn’t psychosis in PPD per say, whereas psychosis is a big part of paranoid schizophrenia, but PPD may present as looking somewhat similar to psychosis. Patients with PPD may “ascribe malicious intent” as I’ve heard therapists say, which means they will suspect and be cautious of a person’s true intentions or motives, and this may appear abrasive or combative.

Check out MedCircle on YouTube, who have videos on PPD, as well as other personality disorders.