Personality

Disorders

What is a Personality disorder?

•A rigid pattern of inner experience and outward behavior that differs from the expectations of one’s culture and leads to dysfunctioning

Dsm IV Checklist1. An enduring pattern of inner experience

and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture, with at least 2 of the following areas affected: cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, impulse control

2. Pattern is inflexible & pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations

3. Pattern is stable and long-lasting, and its onset can be traced back at least to adolescence or early adulthood

4. Significant distress or impairment

How many personality

disorders are there?•The DSM identifies 10

personality disorders•Separates them into clusters:

ODD, DRAMATIC, and ANXIOUS•Symptoms overlap—hard to

distinguish which leads to misdiagnosis or multiple diagonsis

“ODD” Personality Disorders•Paranoid•Schizoid•Schizotypal

DRAMATIC PERSONALITY

Disorders•Antisocial•Borderline•Histrionic•narcissitic

ANXIOUS PERSONALITY DISORDERS

•Avoidant•Dependent•Obsessive-compulsive

PARANOID personality disorder• DEEPLY DISTRUST OTHER PEOPLE• See threats everywhere• Look for hidden meanings in everything• Cold, distant• Inaccurate perceptions of people, but

they are not delusional• Critical of others• Blame others when things go wrong in

their lives• Estimated .5 to 2.5 % of population

may have this

ANTISOCIAL Personality disorder

• Described as “sociopaths” or “psychopaths”

• Persistently disregard and violate the rights of others

• Closely linked to adult criminal behavior• Most people with antisocial personality

disorder showed patterns of misbehavior before age 15 including, truancy, running away, physical cruelty to animals or people, destroying property, or setting fires

ANTISOCIAL Personality

disorder (cont.)• Lie repeatedly• Many cannot work consistently at a job or are

absent frequently or quit• Careless w/money, may not pay debts• Impulsive• Irritable, aggressive, and quick to start fights• Recklessness• Self-centered• Trouble maintaining relationships• Up to 3% of U.S. population meets criteria for

antisocial personality disorder

BORDERLINEPersonality disorder• Display great instability, including major shifts

in mood, unstable self-image, and impulsivity• Unstable relationships• [anger may lead to physical aggression and

violence• May engage in self-destructive activities

(alcohol and substance abuse, unsafe sex, reckless driving, cutting themselves)

• May form intense, conflict-ridden relationships• Violate boundaries of relationships• 75% who receive diagnosis are women• 2% of general population believed to have this

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE

Personality disorder• Person is focused on order, perfection, and control—they lose all flexibility, openness, and efficiency

• Concerned w/doing everything RIGHT—this interferes w/production

• Set unreasonably high standards for self• Refuse to seek help or work on a team• Afraid to make mistakes = reluctant to make

decisions• Rigid, stubborn• Live by a strict personal code• Relationships stiff or artificial• 1 to 2 % of population may have-usually white,

educated, married, and employed. Men more likely than women to be diagnosed.

Personality Disorders--summary• Narcissistic— major characteristic is an

exaggerated sense of self-importance• Anti-social—chronic pattern of self-centered,

manipulative and destructive behavior• Paranoid—characterized by suspicious,

mistrustful, secretive and jealous behavior• Borderline—instability of self-image, mood,

and social relationships; poorly defined identity. Individuals usually have a difficult time with relationships

• Dependent—extreme dependence on others, submissive and clingy behavior, difficulty making decisions, helplessness