Lecture 6: Personality Disorders Flashcards
abnormal psychology
field of research that focuses on psychological functioning that deviates from the norm
- statistical norm
- socio-cultural norm
- psychological perspective
mental disorder
a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning
personality disorder
a persistent pattern of inner experience and behavior that clearly deviates from the expectations of the individuals culture
distress
feelings of emotional pain and suffering, depression, anxiety, self-consciousness, helplessness and vulnerability
3 DSM clusters of PD
- cluster A: strange and eccentric
- cluster B: dramatic and emotional
- cluster C: anxious and fearful
paranoid personality disorder (A)
pattern of distrust and suspiciousness in which the motives of others are interpreted as malevolent
schizoid personality disorder (A)
pattern of detachment from social relationships and limited range of emotional expression
schizotypal personality disorder (A)
pattern of acute discomfort in close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions, and eccentricities in behavior
antisocial personality disorder (B)
patterns of disregard for and violation of the rights of others
borderline personality disorder (B)
patterns of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and affect, and marked impulsivity
histrionic personality disorder (B)
pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking
narcissistic personality disorder (B)
pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy
avoidant personality disorder (C)
pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
dependent personality disorder (C)
pattern of submissive and clinging behavior associated with an excessive need to be taken care of
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (C)
pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control
cultural/ethnic differences
the diagnosis of personality disorders depends on what is considered normal
prevalence
total number of cases in a given population at a time
comorbidity
25–50% of people with a diagnosis of personality disorder also meet criteria for another personality disorder
psychotherapy
- main way to treat PD
- main goal is to change the underlying maladaptive personality traits.
- helps people understand their thoughts, feelings and behaviors
pharmacotherapy
- focused on acute symptoms
- medications available are more difficult to use to treat underlying disorder, but can be used in conjunction with psychotherapy
treatment problems
- personality disorders are relatively unique in that they are often ego-syntonic (most people are largely comfortable with themselves)
- people rarely seek treatment for their antisocial, narcissistic, and/or schizoid personality disorder