Paranoid Personality Disorder (Last Updated - 5/27/2003)
-subtype of Cluster A personality disorder
-assoc. w/ distrust and suspiciousness leading to patients being secretive & socially isolated
-emotionally cold and odd
-can see brief episodes of psychosis w/ persecutory delusions
-may see pre-existing sensory impairments (Ex.) Deaf patients believe you are talking about them b/c they cannot hear you
-common defense mechanism -> projection (attributing your thoughts to others)
-symptoms tend to worsen w/ age
-must differentiate from schizophrenia:
   1) Duration of symptoms: Schizophrenia (more recently) vs. Paranoid PD (always)
   2) Level of Functioning: Schizophrenia (non-functional) vs. Paranoid PD (relatively functional)
   3) Psychotic symptoms: Schizophrenia (yes) vs. Paranoid PD (no not usually)

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References:

1) First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. Bhushan et al. 2002. pg. 135.
2) Kaplan USMLE Step 2 Lecture Notes: Psychiatry and Epidemiology & Ethics. Gonzalez-Mayo A. and Shaner, R. 2002. pg. 73-74.
3) Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry. 8th Edition. Kaplan, H. and Sadock, B. 1998. pg. 780-782.