Paranoid Personality Disorder and Sociodemography: a 25-year Study of First Admissions to a Danish General Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

Paranoid personality disorder is predominantly characterized by suspiciousness, self-reference, and exquisite sensitivity. Scarce research exists on the sociodemographic characteristics of patients with a paranoid personality disorder. A chart review was conducted on patients first admitted to a Danish general psychiatric hospital between 1975 and 2000 with a) an original paranoid (and/or sensitive type) personality disorder, b) no primary organic or schizophreniform disorder, and c) at least three denominated traits in keeping with ICD-10 criteria for paranoid personality disorder. Among 10,400 first admitted patients, 15 patients fulfilled the criteria set forth. Most patients were first admitted in the initial third of the period. The male/female ratio was 11/4 and the mean age at first psychiatric admission was 44 years. With regard to education, patient profiles mostly mirrored that of the general population and patients equally lived in towns and rural areas. At last psychiatric contact, 10 male patients were married. However, 8 patients had been given a disability pension. In conclusion, the findings mostly agree with previous clinical research. Still, additional studies are needed to elucidate the apparently low and declining occurrence in general psychiatric hospital, the possible impact of gender, and the influence on capacity for work.