Personality Disorders Flashcards by Elliot Jones

Define personality

The individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving

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What types of factors can shape personality?

Biological

Psychological

Social

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What biological factors can shape personality?

Genes

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What psychological factors can chape personality?

Early attachment and environment

Siblings

Peer-relationship

Schooling

Traumas

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What social factors can shape personality?

Socioeconomic status

War/peace

Social media

Culture

Climate

Immigration

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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

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What 3 P’s can be used to define personality disorders?

Persistent

Problematic

Pervasive - across different contexts

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How many different types of personality disorders have been identified?

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How many clusters are the 10 different personality disorders grouped into?

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What are the three clusters of personality disorders referred to as?

A, B, and C

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Do personality disorders appear in isolation?

No - common to have more than one type

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Can people have less than a ‘full’ personality disorder?

Yes - can present with traits of one type rather than the full disorder

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What indicates increasing complexity in terms of personality disorders?

Scoring highly on severity and having different types at the same time

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What’s personality disorders are grouped into cluster A?

Paranoid

Schizoid

Schizotypal

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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

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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

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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