Personality Disorders Flashcards
What is a personality disorder?
pattern of perceiving, relating and thinking about the environment and oneself that is chronic and pervasive, culturally deviant and maladaptive or distressful.
Typically when do personality disorders begin?
Childhood/Adolescence
What is the main form of treatment for individuals with personality disorders?
Psychotherapy
How should meds be used for personality disorders?
as an adjunct treatment
Personality disorders are listed in clusters (A,B,C). What are the cluster A disorders (odd-eccentric)?
A= odd-eccentric
1) Paranoid
2) Schizoid
3) Schizotypal
What is the main theme in individuals with paranoid personality disorder (PPD)?
Distrust and suspiciousness
What are some symptoms for PPD?
Suspicion that others are being exploitative or deceptive
Unjustified doubts about loyalty/trust
reluctance to confide
reads hidden threatening meanings into remarks
reacts angrily to perceived insults
What is the main differential diagnosis for PPD patients?
Delusional Disorder (DD) (persecutory type)
What are some differences in DD and PPD patients?
DD–> paranoid thought is believed with certainty; sudden onset and usually middle aged
PPD–> paranoid thought is merely suspected; symptom onset is gradual and starts in childhood with pervasive paranoia
What is the main theme for schizoid personality disorder?
Interpersonal Detachment
What are some symptoms for schizoid personality disorder?
1) Lacks desire for close relationships
2) Lacks close friends
3) Prefers solitary activities
4) Derives pleasure in few activities
5) Indifference to praise/criticism
6) Emotional coldness, detachment or flat affect
What is the main theme for schizotypal personality disorder?
Eccentric
What are some symptoms in patients with schizotypal personality disorder?
1) Social and interpersonal deficits with acute discomfort for close relationships
2) Odd speech/thinking
3) Beliefs in paranormal phenomenon
4) Ideas of reference
5) Odd appearance/behavior
6) Unusual perceptual experiences
7) Suspiciousness
Schizotypal is considered the premorbid personality of what disease?
Schizophrenia
The second cluster (B) is considered dramatic/emotional/erratic and includes which disorders?
B= dramatic/emotional/erratic
1) Histrionic
2) Borderline
3) Narcissistic
4) Antisocial
What is the main theme for an individual with histrionic personality disorder?
Excessive Emotionality
What are the symptoms for histrionic personality disorder?
1) Needs to be center of attention
2) Uses physical appearance for attention
3) Inappropriate provocative behavior
4) Shallow and rapidly shifting emotions
5) Impressionistic speech but lacks detail
6) Exaggerated emotional expression
7) Considers relationships intimate
What is the main theme for an individual with Borderline Personality Disorder?
Instability
What are the four category of symptoms associated with borderline personality disorder?
Relationships
Emotions
Self
Behaviors
Give some examples of symptoms associated with relationships in borderline personality disorder
1) Unstable intense relationships with alternating idealization and devaluation
2) Frantically avoids abandonment
Give some examples of symptoms associated with emotions in a person with borderline personality disorder
1) Intense uncontrolled anger
2) Marked reactivity of mood
3) Chronic feelings of emptiness
Give some examples of symptoms associated with self in a person with borderline personality disorder
Unstable self image
Give some examples of symptoms associated with behaviors in a person with borderline personality disorder
1) self damaging impulsivity
2) Suicidal gestures/self mutilation
3) Transient stress related dissociative/paranoid symptoms
What is the main theme in a patient with Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)?
Grandiosity
What are some symptoms in a patient with Narcissistic personality disorder?
1) Grandiose sense of self importance
2) Preoccupied with success
3) Requires admiration
4) Sense of entitlement
5) Interpersonally exploitative
6) Lacks empathy with haughty attitudes
What are the two differential diagnosis for a person with Narcissistic personality disorder?
Delusional Disorder (DD), grandiose type --> single grandiose belief of delusional proportion; appears older in age Bipolar I (BPI) disorder -->mood disturbances with more symptoms than grandiosity
What is the general theme in patients with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)?
Pervasive disregard for other’s rights
What are some symptoms associated with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)?
1) Repeated Unlawful Acts
2) Deceitfulness
3) Irritability and aggressiveness
4) Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
5) Irresponsibility
6) Lack of remorse
In order for a person to be diagnosed with ASPD, what must their age be?
MUST BE AT LEAST 18
In order for a person to be diagnosed with ASPD, what disorder must they have had before the age of 15?
Conduct disorder
When is the term psychopath (sociopath) used?
synonymously with ASPD but are only used in research and are extreme cases
The last cluster (C) are people described as anxious/fearful, what are the diagnoses associated with this cluster?
Avoidant
Dependent
Obsessive-Compulsive
What is the main theme in patients with Avoidant personality disorder?
Inferiority complex
What are the symptoms associated with avoidant personality disorder?
1) Avoids interpersonal and occupational activities for fear of criticism
2) Unwilling to start relationship unless certain of being liked
3) Restraint within relationship for fear of ridicule
4) Reluctance to engage in new activities
5) Negative self image
What are two differential diagnosis’s for a person with avoidant personality disorder?
1) Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): higher amounts of physiological hyperarousal. Extreme levels of avoidants
2) Schizoid Personality Disorder: NO desire for relationships
What is the main theme in a patient with dependent personality disorder?
excessive need to be cared for
What are some symptoms associated with dependent personality disorder?
1) Indecisive
2) others must take responsibility for life
3) Difficulty disagreeing
4) Difficulty initiating due to low confidence
5) Excessive lengths to keep/gain support
6) Feels helpless when alone
7) Urgently seeks another relationship if one ends
What is the main theme in a patient with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)?
Inflexible perfectionism and control
What are some symptoms associated with an individual with OCPD?
1) Preoccupation with details, rules, lists until point of activity is lost
2) Perfectionism interferes with task completion
3) Excessive devotion to work
4) Rigid and Stubborn
5) Over conscientious, scrupulous
6) Reluctance to delegate or to work with others
7) Hoarding and miserly behavior
What is the differential diagnosis for a patient with OCPD?
OCD= uncontrolled intrusive thoughts and repeated rituals OCPD= excessive perfectionism and control
