Personality disorders Flashcards
Personality disorders definition
series of maladaptive personality traits that interfere with normal function in life. It is thought that around 1 in 20 people have a personality disorder
Personality disorders can be divided into 3 clusters: name all the disorders in each cluster
Paranoid personality description
- Hypersensitivity and an unforgiving attitude when insulted
- Unwarranted tendency to questions the loyalty of friends
- Reluctance to confide in others
- Preoccupation with conspirational beliefs and hidden meaning
- Unwarranted tendency to perceive attacks on their character
Schizoid personality description
- Indifference to praise and criticism
- Preference for solitary activities
- Lack of interest in sexual interactions
- Lack of desire for companionship
- Emotional coldness
- Few interests
- Few friends or confidants other than family
Schizotypal personality description
- Ideas of reference (differ from delusions in that some insight is retained)
- Odd beliefs and magical thinking
- Unusual perceptual disturbances
- Paranoid ideation and suspiciousness
- Odd, eccentric behaviour
- Lack of close friends other than family members
- Inappropriate affect
- Odd speech without being incoherent
Antisocial personality description
- Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviours as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
- More common in men;
- Deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
- Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead;
- Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;
- Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others;
- Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behaviour or honour financial obligations;
- Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
Borderline - also known as Emotionally Unstable personality description
- Efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
- Unstable interpersonal relationships which alternate between idealization and devaluation
- Unstable self image
- Impulsivity in potentially self damaging area (e.g. Spending, sex, substance abuse)
- Recurrent suicidal behaviour
- Affective instability
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty controlling temper
- Quasi psychotic thoughts
Histrionic personality description
- Inappropriate sexual seductiveness
- Need to be the centre of attention
- Rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
- Suggestibility
- Physical appearance used for attention seeking purposes
- Impressionistic speech lacking detail
- Self dramatization
- Relationships considered to be more intimate than they are
Narcissistic personality description
- Grandiose sense of self importance
- Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, or beauty
- Sense of entitlement
- Taking advantage of others to achieve own needs
- Lack of empathy
- Excessive need for admiration
- Chronic envy
- Arrogant and haughty attitude
Obsessive-compulsive personality description
- Is occupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or agenda to the point that the key part of the activity is gone
- Demonstrates perfectionism that hampers with completing tasks
- Is extremely dedicated to work and efficiency to the elimination of spare time activities
- Is meticulous, scrupulous, and rigid about etiquettes of morality, ethics, or values
- Is not capable of disposing worn out or insignificant things even when they have no sentimental meaning
- Is unwilling to pass on tasks or work with others except if they surrender to exactly their way of doing things
- Takes on a stingy spending style towards self and others; and shows stiffness and stubbornness
Avoidant personality description
- Avoidance of occupational activities which involve significant interpersonal contact due to fears of criticism, or rejection.
- Unwillingness to be involved unless certain of being liked
- Preoccupied with ideas that they are being criticised or rejected in social situations
- Restraint in intimate relationships due to the fear of being ridiculed
- Reluctance to take personal risks due to fears of embarrassment
- Views self as inept and inferior to others
- Social isolation accompanied by a craving for social contact
Dependent personality description
- Difficulty making everyday decisions without excessive reassurance from others
- Need for others to assume responsibility for major areas of their life
- Difficulty in expressing disagreement with others due to fears of losing support
- Lack of initiative
- Unrealistic fears of being left to care for themselves
- Urgent search for another relationship as a source of care and support when a close relationship ends
- Extensive efforts to obtain support from others
- Unrealistic feelings that they cannot care for themselves
Management of personality disorders
- psychological therapies: dialectical behaviour therapy
- treatment of any coexisting psychiatric conditions