Personality Disorders Flashcards
Define personality
The individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving
What types of factors can shape personality?
Biological
Psychological
Social
What biological factors can shape personality?
Genes
What psychological factors can chape personality?
Early attachment and environment
Siblings
Peer-relationship
Schooling
Traumas
What social factors can shape personality?
Socioeconomic status
War/peace
Social media
Culture
Climate
Immigration
What is a personality disorder?
A group of conditions in which an individual differs significantly from an average person, in terms of how they think, perceive, feel or relate to others
What 3 P’s can be used to define personality disorders?
Persistent
Problematic
Pervasive - across different contexts
How many different types of personality disorders have been identified?
10
How many clusters are the 10 different personality disorders grouped into?
3
What are the three clusters of personality disorders referred to as?
A, B, and C
Do personality disorders appear in isolation?
No - common to have more than one type
Can people have less than a ‘full’ personality disorder?
Yes - can present with traits of one type rather than the full disorder
What indicates increasing complexity in terms of personality disorders?
Scoring highly on severity and having different types at the same time
What’s personality disorders are grouped into cluster A?
Paranoid
Schizoid
Schizotypal
List some typical traits of a patient with paranoid personality disorder
Suspicious and mistrustful
Often misinterprets events as persecutory
Bears grudges
Have a strong sense of personal rights
List some typical traits of a patient with schizoid personality disorder
Detached, solitary, and aloof
Little interest in people and sex
Indifferent
Lacking close friends
List some typical traits of a patient with schizotypal personality disorder
Eccentric
Odd behaviour and thinking
Unconventional beliefs
What personality disorders are grouped into cluster B?
Borderline
Narcissistic
Antisocial
Histrionic
List some typical traits of a patient with borderline personality disorder
Emotional instability
Impulsivity
Parasuicidal acts
Chronic feelings of emptiness
Intense and unstable relationships
Fear of abandonment
List some typical traits of a patient with narcissistic personality disorder
Grandiose
Self-important
Degrading others
List some typical traits of a patient with antisocial personality disorder
No concern for the feelings of others
Disregard for rules
Impulsivity
Low tolerance to frustration
Failure to take responsibility
List some typical traits of a patient with histrionic personality disorder
Theatrical
Dramatic
Exhibit superficial emotionality
Seductiveness
Suggestibility
What personality disorders are grouped into cluster C?
Anankastic (obsessive compulsive)
Dependent
Anxious-avoidant
List some typical traits of a patient with anankastic personality disorder
Rigid
Stubbornness
Perfectionistic
Pre-occupied with rules, order and routine
Have a higher sense of morality
List some typical traits of a patient with dependent personality disorder
Need others to make decisions for them
Fear of abandonment
Unable to cope alone
Need reasssurance
List some typical traits of a patient with anxious-avoidant personality disorder
Persistent anxiety
Sensitive to rejection
Avoid relationships unless acceptance is guaranteed
How can attachment issues due to negative experiences as a baby (e.g. neglect or abuse) cause personality disorders?
Babies will grow up to feel the world is unsafe/abusive and will lack trust in other people and expect them to be hostile.
Which type of personality disorder is most prone to self-harm?
Borderline - can happen in all
Why to people with personality disorders tend to self harm?
As a coping mechanism in response to overwhelming states of mind
Why should self-harm be taken seriously?
Might lead to serious harm or death
Why is it important to consider attachment in adults with personality disorders?
Clinicians should act as a negotiator, not as an under-involved controller or over-involved pacifier
Why do appropriate boundaries matter when dealing with patients with personality disorders?
To not allow the patient to feel to devoid of contact but not to let them become too attached
Keeps patient and clinician safe
How can a clinician act as a negotiator?
Empower patients to make changes rather than forcing them by doing all the work for them or telling them to do it with no assistance at all
What is a good technique to help reduce the risk self-harm poses to patients with personality disorders?
Treatment-harm minimisation
How does treatment-harm minimisations work?
Replace typical self-harm techniques with less damaging strategies, e.g. holding ice cubes, elastic bands on wrist etc.
Why can self-harm become addictive as a coping mechanism?
Releases endorphins in the brain to temporarily give a sense of well-being
When dealing with self-harm, how can a patients emotional stability be maintained?
Treatment contracts should set out that the patient takes responsibility to have any self-inflicted damage medically attended to
Staff should prioritise the patient’s safety but not be critical of the self-harm
How can treatment boundaries be maintained?
Professionals should be clear in explaining expectations of the service user and also consistent and reliable in doing what they have said they will do
How can personality disorders be treated?
Group treatment
Dialectical behavioural therapy
Mentalisation based therapy
When should psychotropic medication be used in personality disorders?
Only to treat co-morbidities
