Personality Disorders

Question 1

general characteristics of personality disorders

Answer 1

*difficulty/problems with: perception, affect, interpersonal functioning, and/or impulse control
*occurs across a range of personal and social situations
*lead to clinically significant distress or impairment

Question 2

Cluster A: odd or eccentric personality disorders

Answer 2

*paranoid personality disorder
*schizoid personality disorder
*schizotypal personality disorder

Question 3

paranoid personality disorder

Answer 3

*cluster A disorder characterized by distrust and suspiciousness
*others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving them
*doubts loyalty/trustworthiness of friends
*reluctant to confide in others
*reads hidden/threatening meanings into benign comments
*bears grudges
*perceives attacks on his character/reputation
*recurrent suspicions of infidelity

Question 4

schizoid personality disorder

Answer 4

*cluster A personality disorder
*lack a desire for close relationships
*prefers solo activities
*little interest in sex
*takes pleasure in few activities
*lacks close friends
*indifferent to praise or criticism
*emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affect

Question 5

schizotypal personality disorder

Answer 5

*cluster A personality disorder
*ideas of reference
*odd beliefs/magical thinking
*unusual perceptual experiences
*odd thinking and speech
*suspiciousness or paranoid ideation
*inappropriate or constricted affect
*behavior or appearance is odd, eccentric, peculiar
*lack of close friends
*excessive social anxiety

Question 6

Cluster B: dramatic, emotional, or erratic personality disorders

Answer 6

*antisocial personality disorder
*borderline personality disorder
*histrionic personality disorder
*narcissistic personality disorder

Question 7

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 7

*cluster B personality disorder
*failure to conform to social norms and laws
*deceitfulness
*impulsivity
*irritability and aggressiveness
*reckless disregard for safety
*consistent irresponsibility
*lack of remorse

Question 8

borderline personality disorder

Answer 8

*cluster B personality disorder
*fear of abandonment
*unstable and intense interpersonal relationships
*unstable sense of self
*impulsive behaviors
*recurrent suicidal behaviors or self-mutilation
*affective instability
*chronic feelings of emptiness
*inappropriate anger
*transient, stress-related paranoid ideations/severe dissociative symptoms

Question 9

histrionic personality disorder

Answer 9

*cluster B personality disorder
*uncomfortable when not the center of attention
*inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior
*rapidly shifting, shallow emotions
*uses physical appearance to draw attention
*speech is impressionistic and lacking in detail
*self-dramatization, theatricality, exaggerated expression of emotion
*suggestible
*relationships more intimate than they really are

Question 10

narcissistic personality disorder

Answer 10

*cluster B personality disorder
*grandiose sense of self-importance
*preoccupied with unlimited success, power, brilliance
*special and unique
*requires excessive admiration
*sense of entitlement
*interpersonally exploitative
*lacks empathy
*envy
*arrogant

Question 11

cluster C: anxious or fearful personality disorders

Answer 11

*avoidant personality disorder
*dependent personality disorder
*obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Question 12

avoidant personality disorder

Answer 12

*cluster C personality disorder
*avoid occupations involving significant interpersonal interactions for fear of criticism or rejection
*unwilling to get involved with others for fear of rejection
*preoccupied with being criticized/rejected in social situations
*feels inadequate
*views self as inept, unappealing, or inferior
*avoids personal risks and new activities for fear of embarrassment

Question 13

dependent personality disorder

Answer 13

*cluster C personality disorder
*difficulty making everyday decisions without excessive advice/reassurance
*need others to assume responsibility for their lives
*difficulty disagreeing with others for fear of disapproval
*difficulty starting projects/doing things on their own
*excessive need for nurturance and support
*uncomfortable when alone - fears inability to care for self
*enters relationship as soon as one is over
*fears being left to care for self

Question 14

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Answer 14

*cluster C personality disorder
*preoccupied with details, rules, order
*perfectionism that interferes with task completion
*workaholic
*overconscious and rigid about morals, ethics, and values
*unable to discard items
*difficulty delegating tasks to others
*miserly spending style
*rigid and stubborn

Question 15

paranoid personality disorder (simple)

Answer 15

distrust and suspiciousness

Question 16

schizoid personality disorder (simple)

Answer 16

detachment from social relationships, restricted emotional expression

Question 17

schizotypal personality disorder (simple)

Answer 17

discomfort in close relationships, perceptual distortion, eccentric behavior

Question 18

antisocial personality disorder (simple)

Answer 18

disregard for the rights of others

*must be at least 18 years old (if < 18, conduct disorder)

Question 19

borderline personality disorder (simple)

Answer 19

instability in relationships, poor self-image, trouble regulating emotion, impulsivity

Question 20

histrionic personality disorder (simple)

Answer 20

excessively emotional and attention-seeking

Question 21

narcissitic personality disorder (simple)

Answer 21

grandiose, need for admiration, lack of empathy

Question 22

avoidant personality disorder (simple)

Answer 22

social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative evaluation

Question 23

dependent personality disorder (simple)

Answer 23

excessive need to be taken care of

Question 24

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (simple)

Answer 24

preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control