The PaDS is a reliable and valid measure of paranoid thinking and perceived deservedness of persecution, which is sensitive for use in clinical and non-clinical populations. Paranoid thinking appears to be mainly bad-me in non-clinical groups but poor-me in psychotic psychiatric patients.

PM and BM paranoia may represent separate phases of an unstable phenomenon. The findings are consistent with an attributional account of paranoid thinking.

No abstract

Both deservedness of persecution and self-views appear to be unstable in individuals with paranoia and to change consistently over time, a finding which is in keeping with Bentall et al.'s (2001) dynamic model of paranoia.

'Poor me' and 'bad me' paranoia may represent separate phases of the same unstable defensive phenomenon. The effectiveness of the existing psychological interventions in prodromal psychosis could be increased by addressing the negative impact of safety behaviours and of substance misuse and by encouraging the practice of more adaptive ways of dealing with everyday problems.