EUPD

Question 1

Who does it affect?

Answer 1

-4-11% of the UK
-60-70% of the prison population
-Highest rates among men and unemployed

Question 2

What causes it?

Answer 2

-Personality disorder = severe disturbances in the personality and behaviour tendencies not resulting from disease or insult to the brain or from other psychiatric disorders
-EUPD is characterised by a definite tendency to act impulsively without consideration of the consequences
-Unpredictable and capricious mood
-Tendency towards conflicts and quarrelsome behaviour
2 key types:
-Impulsive : emotional instability and lack of impulse control
-Borderline : (in addition to the above) disturbances in self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness, intense and unstable relationships, self-destructive behaviour

Question 3

What risk factors are there?

Answer 3

-Sexual, physical and emotional abuse
-Being a victim of bullying
-Neglect

Question 4

How does it present?

Answer 4

-Patterns of perception, though and response are fixed but their behaviour is often unpredictable

Question 5

How would you investigate a patient with EUPD?

Answer 5

-Clinical diagnosis
-Structured psychometric assessment

Question 6

What treatment would you consider for someone with EUPD?

Answer 6

-Psychotherapy to improve perceptions of and responses to social / environmental triggers
-CBT - cognitive errors based on long-standing beliefs influence the meaning attached to interpersonal interactions
-Group psychotherapy uses feedback from peers (low cost per patient)

Question 7

What is schizoid personality disorder?

Answer 7

-Characterised by withdrawal from affectional and social contacts
-Often isolated and has a limited capacity to experience pleasure and express feelings

Question 8

What is dissocial personality disorder?

Answer 8

-Tendency to act outside social norms
-Disregard for the feelings of others
-Low threshold for violence