Personality Disorders Flashcards
(26 cards)
Personality Disorders
● Maladaptive personality traits
● Stable over time and consistent over settings
● Often apparent by young adulthood
● Usually diagnosed by early adolescence
● Many people avoid clinical settings, so it is difficult to estimate how many people have them
● Many people with personality disorders are more distressing to those around them, than feeling distress themselves
● Often comorbid with other personality disorders and conditions
● Many can be secondary to trauma development
Ego-syntonic (not a disorder)
○ Experiences that appear to be a natural part
of the self
○ Think their traits are their personality structure
○ Often think the problem is how others perceive them, and lack insight on how they impact others
Cluster A
● Odd or eccentric
●Types:
○ Schizoid
○ Schizotypal
○ Paranoid
Cluster B
● Dramatic or erratic
●Types:
○ Borderline
○ Narcissistic
○ Histrionic
○ Antisocial
Cluster C
● Anxious/fearful
●Types:
○ Avoidant
○ Dependent
○ Obsessive compulsive
Paranoid Personality Disorder
● Experience of constant paranoia
and distrust
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Symptoms
● Consistent fears of being mistreated and/or
exploited
● Doubts about loyalty or trustworthiness of others
● Sees negative intent in harmless situations
● Mood is often angry and hostile
● Secretive (does not want to confide in others)
● Blames others when things go wrong
● No hallucinations or full blown delusions
● More common in women than men
Schizoid Personality Disorder
● Consistent detachment from social relationships
● Exhibiting a restricted range of emotional expression in relationships
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Symptoms
○ Prefers solitary activities
○ Rarely report strong emotions
○ Little interest in sexual activity
○ Lacks friendships
○ Indifferent to praise or criticism
○ Emotional detachment
○ Anhedonia
Schizotypal Personality
Disorder
● Cognitive/perceptual distortions,
eccentric behavior, social
problems
Schizotypal Personality
Disorder Symptoms
● Odd beliefs or magical thinking
● Unusual perceptual experiences
● Odd speech patterns
● Suspicious of others
● Inappropriate emotional affect
● Behavior/appearance that is odd or eccentric
● Relatives of individuals with schizophrenia at greater risk for schizotypal
● Cognitive and neuropsychological deficits
Borderline Personality
Disorder (PD)
● Characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, marked disturbance in self, affective instability
● 3 categories of Instability:
○ 1) Emotional
○ 2) Behavioral
○ 3) Interpersonal
Symptoms of Borderline PD
● Frantic attempts to avoid abandonment
● Unstable, intense relationships
● Polarization
● Impulsivity
● Recurrent suicidal gestures
● Affective instability
● Onset during adolescence or early
adulthood
● Prognosis poor within 10 years of diagnosis
● Later in life, most no longer meet diagnostic criteria (Paris, 2002)
Etiology of Borderline Personality
Disorder (BPD): Social
Environmental Factors
● Linehan’s Diathesis-Stress Theory
○ Individuals with BPD have difficulty
controlling their emotions
○ Family invalidates emotional
experiences
○ Interaction between extreme
emotional reactivity and
invalidating family → BPD
Narcissistic Personality
Disorder
● Characterized by grandiosity, a need for admiration, a lack of empathy or concern for others
Symptoms of Narcissistic PD
● Grandiose sense of self
● Preoccupation with fantasies of success, ideal love, power, beauty, etc.
● Belief that one is unique and can only be
understood by particular people
● Seeking excessive admiration
● Entitled
● Interpersonally exploitative
● Arrogant, haughty attitude
Histrionic Personality Disorder
● Dramatic or overly
attention-seeking behavior
Symptoms of Histrionic PD
● Seeks to be center of attention
● Inappropriate seductive behavior
● Attempts to use dress or appearance to draw attention to self
● Exaggerated displays of emotion, although emotions tend to be shallow
● Emotional states shift rapidly
● Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are
Antisocial Personality
Disorder
● Intentionally violates the
rights of others
Symptoms of Antisocial PD
● History of antisocial behavior by age 15
● Failure to conform to social norms, laws
● Deceitfulness
● Impulsivity
● Irritability and aggressiveness
● Reckless disregard for safety of others
● Financially and socially irresponsible
● Lack of remorse for misbehavior
● Often treatment is provided in controlled environments, such as residential facilities
Avoidant Personality Disorder
● Consistent anxiety regarding
evaluation by others, and the resulting
avoidance of social situations
Symptoms of Avoidant PD
● Sensitivity to criticism or rejection
● Lacks self-confidence, and tend to view themselves as below others
● Avoidance of social situations
○ Fears ridicule
○ Feelings of inadequacy
○ Avoids taking risks or trying new activities
Dependent Personality Disorder
● Extreme dependency needs
Symptoms of Dependent PD
● Submissive or passive disposition
● Avoids abandonment by submitting to desires of others
● Lack of self confidence
● Excessive reliance on others
● Intense need to be cared for
● Uncomfortable when alone
● Feels helpless to care for self
● Behavior focused on maintaining relationships
● Quickly initiates new relationship if current one fails
