Personality Disorder Flashcards
Define Personality Disorder.
A set of consistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours shown across time in a variety of settings which may lead to suffering of the individual or others
- Exaggerated personality traits
What 3 features must be present for the diagnosis of a Personality Disorder?
- Pervasive - occurs in all/most areas of life
- Persistent - evident/starts in adolescence and continues through adulthood
- Pathological - causes distress to self or others, impairs function
What 3 clusters do Personality Disorders fall into?
- Cluster A - odd or eccentric = paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
- Cluster B - dramatic, erratic, or emotional = dissocial, EUPD, histrionic, narcissistic
- Cluster C - anxious and fearful = anankastic, anxious-avoidant, dependent
What 6 features are required by the ICD-10 for the diagnosis of a Personality Disorder?
- Relationships affected - Pathological
- Enduring - Persistent
- Pervasive
- Onset in childhood/adolescence - Persistent
- Results in distress - Pathological
- Trouble in occupational/social performance - Pathological
What are the risk factors for Personality Disorders?
- Biological
- Genetics
- Sex - Overall = M > F
- M > F in cluster A and C
- F > M in cluster B
- Neurotransmitter theories:
- Lower 5-HT in cluster B
- Psychosocial
- Childhood temperament - difficult from >3 years-old
- Childhood experiences/trauma - insecure attachment
- Cognitive theories - confirmation bias perpetuation - i.e. if you’re negative, you spark ‘negativity’ in others, confirming your thoughts
- Psychological defences - overly reliant on defence mechanisms - ‘acting out’, ‘splitting’, ‘projection’, ‘fantasising’ etc
What is the prognosis of Personality Disorder?
- Personality disorders disrupt relationships, education and employment
- Change in severity over time - i.e. Cluster B often burn out as you age
- Long-term risk is 10% suicide rate
What is the difference between Schizotypal PD and Schizoid PD?
- Schizotypal = some positive schizophrenia symptoms
- Eccentricity and eccentric thoughts/ideas = MAIN DIFFERENCE
- Paranoid or bizarre ideas - Believe in ‘magic’ and ‘fairies’
- Social withdrawal
- Cold/inappropriate affect
- Schizoid = just negative schizophrenia symptoms
- Anhedonic
- Limited emotional range / Apparent indifference to praise/criticism
- Little sexual interest
- Lacks close relationships / One-player activities
- Normal social conventions are ignored
- Excessive fantasy world
What are the signs and symptoms of Schizotypal PD?
- Some positive schizophrenia symptoms):
- Eccentricity and eccentric thoughts/ideas
- Paranoid or bizarre ideas - believe in ‘magic’ and ‘fairies’
- Social withdrawal
- Cold/inappropriate affect
What are the signs and symptoms of Paranoid PD?
- Sensitive
- Unforgiving
- Suspicious
- Possessive and jealous of partners
- Excessive self-importance
- Conspiracy theories
- Tenacious sense of rights
What are the signs and symptoms of Schizoid PD?
- Anhedonic
- Limited emotional range
- Little sexual interest
- Apparent indifference to praise/criticism
- Lacks close relationships
- One-player activities
- Normal social conventions are ignored
- Excessive fantasy world
What are the signs and symptoms of Histrionic PD?
- Attention-seeking
- Concerned with appearance
- Theatrical
- Open to suggestions
- Racy and seductive
- Shallow affect
What are the signs and symptoms of EUPD?
- Affective instability - feeling of emptiness
- Explosive behaviour
- Impulsive - includes self-harm tendency
- Outbursts of anger
- Unable to plan/consider consequences
- Childhood trauma
- Pervasive fear of abandonment
- Unstable relationships
- Black and White thinking - Spliting
- MOST COMMON PD - 2% of population or 40% of PD
What are the signs and symptoms of Dissocial/Antisocial PD?
- Forms but cannot maintain relationships
- Irresponsible / Impulsive
- Guiltless
- Heartless / No empathy
- Temper easily lost
- Someone else’s fault
What are the signs and symptoms of Anakastic PD?
- Doubtful
- Excessive detail
- Tasks not completed
- Adheres to rules
- Inflexible
- Likes their own way
- Excludes pleasure and relationships
- Dominated by intrusive thoughts
What are the signs and symptoms of Anxious/Avoidant PD?
- Avoids social contact
- Fear of rejection / criticism
- Restricted lifestyle
- Apprehensive
- Inferiority
- Doesn’t get involved unless sure of acceptance