Personality Disorders

Personality disorders

 Problems with identity or sense of self
 Chronic interpersonal difficulties
 Enduring pattern of behaviour must be:
o Pervasive and inflexible
o Stable and of long duration
o Cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning
o Manifested in at least 2 areas:
 Cognition
 Affect
 Interpersonal functioning
 Impulse control
 Cluster A:
o Paranoid
 Suspiciousness and mistrust of others
 Tendency to see self as blameless
 On guard for perceived attacks by others
o Schizoid
 Impaired social relationships
 Inability and lack of desire to form attachments to others
o Schizotypal
 Peculiar thought patterns
 Oddities of perception and speech that interfere with communication and
social interaction
 Cluster B:
o Histrionic
 Self-dramatization
 Over concern with attractiveness
 Tendency to irritability and temper outbursts if attention seeking is
frustrated
o Narcissistic
 Grandiosity; exaggerated sense of self-importance
 Preoccupied with receiving attention
 Self-promoting; believe they are special and unique; arrogant
 Lack of empathy; being interpersonally exploitative
o Antisocial
 Lack of moral or ethical development
 Inability to follow approved models of behaviour
 Deceitfulness
 Shameless manipulation of others
 History of conduct problems as a child
o Borderline
 Impulsiveness
 Inappropriate anger
 Drastic mood shifts
 Chronis feelings of boredom
 Attempts at self-mutilation or suicide