Personality Disorders Flashcards
What is a personality disorder?
Pattern of experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the individual’s normal culture
What are the 4 main aspects that are affected in personality disorder?
Cognition
Affectivity
Interpersonal functioning
Impulse control
How is personality disorder distinguished from a trait?
Disorder is pervasive, enduring and inflexible and causes distress/impairment of functioning
Pattern is stable and of long duration
Onset can be traced back to adolescence/ early adulthood
Pattern not explained by another mental disorder, substance use or other medical condition
e.g. being a little shy sometimes isn’t a disorder
What are the characteristics of cluster A personality disorder?
“Odd and eccentric”
Paranoia
Schizoid/schizotypal
What are the characteristics of cluster B personality disorder?
"Dramatic and emotional" Antisocial Borderline (emotionally unstable) Histrionic Narcisstic
What are the characteristics of cluster C personality disorder?
“Anxious and fearful”
Obsessive
Avoidant
Dependent
Which cluster of personality disorder is most prevalent? Which subset of personality disorder is the most common?
Cluster C
Obsessive-compulsive
Describe paranoid personality disorder
Pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others, as if their motives are malevolent
Describe schizoid personality disorder
Pervasive detachment from social relationships and restricted range of emotions in interpersonal settings
Describe antisocial personality disorder
Pervasive pattern of disregard for rights of others
Describe borderline (emotionally-unstable) personality disorder
Pervasive pattern of instability of relationships and self-esteem, affects and marked impulsivity
What mental illness shares a lot of similarity with borderline personality disorder? How can they be distinguished?
Bipolar disorder
Symptoms of personality disorder are pretty consistent and ongoing; bipolar disorder appears to have “breaks” between extreme mood swings
Describe histrionic personality disorder
Pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking
Describe avoidant personality disorder
Pervasive social inhibition and feelings of inadequacy with hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
Describe dependent personality disorder
Pervasive need to be taken care of, leading to clinging and submissive behaviour and fears of separation
Describe obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness/perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness and efficiency
Antisocial personality disorder is equivalent to being a psychopath. True/False?
False
Antisocial PD is based on behaviour, whereas psychopathy describes emotional and cognitive deficit (almost no consideration for others)
There is good treatment evidence for personality disorder. True/False?
False
What is the main psychological treatment for borderline personality disorder?
Dialectical behavioural therapy first-line
Focuses on groups, firm boundaries and managing interpersonal issues
List the 5 structures of personality
OCEAN Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
State one method that can be used in measuring personality
Rating scales e.g. Personality disorders questionnaire (PDQ4)
What proportion of the general population are believed to have a personality disorder?
1 in 10
How is OCD distinguished from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder?
OCD is an anxiety disorder and OCPD is a personality disorder. OCD involves obsessions and compulsions, and typically causes more distress.
Treatment for personality disorder mainly focuses on…
Treatment of co-morbidity e.g. depression, anxiety
