Personality Disorders Flashcards
What factors affect the development of personality?
temperament
genetics
parenting
culture and society
adversity
relationships with others
What is a personality disorder?
deeply ingrained and enduring pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates from expectations of culture, is pervasive and inflexible and has an onset in adolescence, is stable overtime and leads to distress or impairment
What is the key fact about personality disorders?
importance of (or lack of) childhood attachment, in touch with reality
What is a cluster A personality disorder?
“Weird” with absence of hallucinations and delusions
- paranoid : suspicious, grudges, spouses fidelity questioned, envious
- schizoid : flattened affect, no friends, no emotion, sexual drive reduced
What is a cluster B personality disorder?
“Wild”
- EUPD: abandonment feared, mood unstable, suicidal, unstable yet intense relationships, anger issues, impulsive
- Dissocial: remorseless, reckless, impulsive, tendency for violence, blames others
- Histrionic: provocative, attention seeking, shallow, vain, dramatic
- Narcissistic: trump
What is a cluster C personality disorder?
“Worriers”
- Dependant: reassurance, lack self confidence, abandonment feared, exaggerated fears
- Anxious/ avoidant: need to be liked, restriction to maintain security, embarrassment feared
- Anakastic: workaholic, inflexible, rigid, perfectionist, OCD like
What are some characteristics of dissocial PD?
no guilt
no remorse
no learning from mistakes
anger issues
no responsibility
blames others
uses people as objects for own gratification
What are some characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder?
Have an unreasonably high sense of self-importance
require constant, excessive admiration.
Feel that they deserve privileges and special treatment.
Expect to be recognised as superior
Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate.
Believe they are superior to others
Be critical of and look down on people they feel are not important.
What are some characteristics of EUPD?
fear of abandonment
impulsive
intense and unstable relationships
mood swings
rage
substance misuse
What are some differentials of EUPD?
depression
mania
schizophrenia
anxiety
What are the key themes in EUPD?
immature ego
primitive defensive mechanisms like projection
distend childhood
abuse
not good enough, unlovable, self loathing etc as a result
Why is self harm so key in EUPD?
hatred for body
overcome numbness
physical rather than psychic pain
self soothing
cope with strong emotions
to make others feel something and do something
as a form of communication
What Ix for PD?
questionnaire : personality diagnostic questionnaire, Eysenck personality questionnaire
psychological testing : MMPI
CT head and MRI
How can PD be managed?
manage co-morbid disorders
treat substance misuse
risk assessment esp for EUPD
psychotherapy
dialectical behavioural therapy for coping strategies and impulse control
written crisis plan, MHA
support groups
What is the role of pharmaceuticals in PD mx?
atypical antipsychotics for short term psychotic periods
mood stabilisers
small role for antidepressants
