Personality Disorders

Question 1

What is a personality disorder?

Answer 1

-Traits relating to cognition, affect, interpersonal functioning, and impulse control

Question 2

List the predominant features of Borderline P.D.

Answer 2

-Pervasive pattern of instability in relationships
-Impulsive
-Deep abandonment issues
-Self-damaging behavior
-Intense anger
-Repeated self-harm

Question 3

What are the risk factors of BDP?

Answer 3

-Child abuse/neglect
-PTSD

Question 4

What is the etiological hypotheses of BPD?

Answer 4

-Faulty family boundaries
-Constant invalidation from others
-Failure to master separation and individuation from parent(s)

Question 5

What is self-mutilation in BPD?

Answer 5

-Repeated self-harm to self from psychotic episodes (possibly)

Question 6

What is dissociation in BPD?

Answer 6

-Person feels lost and detached from their reality

Question 7

What are transient psychotic episodes in BPD?

Answer 7

-Rapid onset of psychotic symptoms
-Includes delusions, hallucinations, and perceptual disturbance

Question 8

What is splitting in BPD?

Answer 8

-Person splits between idealization and devaluation
-Idealization=adore their partner/friend
-Devaluation=partner/friend becomes worthless to them

Question 9

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Answer 9

-For people leaning towards suicide, it teaches them how to move forward and accept this is their life

Question 10

What are the 4 basic elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Answer 10

-Mindfulness
-Distress tolerance
-Emotion regulation
-Interpersonal effectiveness

Question 11

List the predominant features of Antisocial P.D.

Answer 11

-Includes sociopaths and psychopaths
-Diagnosis is made IF the person enters the mental health system
-Continual violation of laws and social norms
-Impulsive and reckless
-Lack of remorse

Question 12

What are the risk factors of Antisocial PD?

Answer 12

-Low socioeconomic level
-Incompetent parenting
-Absence of father

Question 13

What are the etiological hypotheses of Antisocial PD?

Answer 13

-Cortical immaturity (PFC dysfunction)
-Insensitivity to reward and punishment (arousal hypothesis)

Question 14

What is true regarding psychopathy and physical arousal?

Answer 14

-Psychopaths have low physical arousal, so they seek out stimulation and do activities to activate it

Question 15

What is the evidence-based treatment for psychopath?

Answer 15

-Incarceration

Question 16

What entails a “successful” psychopath?

Answer 16

-Charming and intelligent to the general public
-Evade the criminal justice and mental health systems
-Useful in certain occupations
-EX: Ted Bundy

Question 17

What are the predominant features of Narcissistic PD?

Answer 17

-grandiose sense of self
-use people to achieve their goals
-respond with rage to criticism
-rarely seek treatment

Question 18

What are the predominant features of Histrionic PD?

Answer 18

-shape themselves to be helpless and weak
-attention seekers
-use physical appearance to attract attention
-frequent health complains
-increased risk of suicide

Question 19

What are the predominant features of Paranoid PD?

Answer 19

-distrust of everyone and everything
-suspect people are plotting to hurt them
-reluctant to trust people
-hold grudges

Question 20

What are the predominant features of Schizoid PD?

Answer 20

-pattern of detachment from others
-restricted emotion range
-don’t care for close relationships
-appear indifferent to praise
-may experience psychosis

Question 21

What are the predominant features of Schizotypal PD?

Answer 21

-same as schizoid, but more elevated
-have more fantasy thoughts (aka delusions)
-eccentric behavior
-odd beliefs

Question 22

What are the predominant features of Avoidant PD?

Answer 22

-hypersensitive to ridicule and rejection
-struggle to form close relationships even though they desire it
-low self-esteem
-social withdrawal

Question 23

What are the predominant features of Dependent PD?

Answer 23

-need to be taken care of
-view themselves as weak and stupid
-appear selfless
-rarely initiate a project

Question 24

What are the predominant features of Obsessive-Compulsive PD?

Answer 24

-perfectionism (To the point it gets in the way)
-preoccupied with small details
-want things done their way
-will rarely delegate tasks to others
-indecisive

Question 25

What are the predominant features of Passive-Aggressive PD?

Answer 25

-“whatever” attitude to things
-general passiveness
-negative attitude
-stubbornness
-procrastinator

Question 26

What is “symptomatic treatment” for PD?

Answer 26

-Treatment that will treat whatever the patient thinks is bother them
-EX: feel high anxiety from dependent PD, will receive SSRIs

Question 27

What are ego-syntonic symptoms?

Answer 27

-Symptoms that show your behaviors and thoughts still align with your own personal values and goals

Question 28

What is the difference between OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive PD?

Answer 28

-OCPD has only ego-syntonic symptoms
-OCPD patients are highly indecisive and overconscientious