Personality Disorders

Question 1

What is personality?

Answer 1

An enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself - it makes an individual who they are

Question 2

Define personality disorder

Answer 2

A set of personality traits that are pervasive, ingrained, maladaptive, and create significant functional impairment or subjective distress

Question 3

Why is personality disorder not an illness?

Answer 3

It is not a change from the individual’s normal level of functioning

Question 4

Define mental illness

Answer 4

An impairment of an individual’s normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioural functioning

Question 5

State the ‘big five’ personality traits

Answer 5

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Question 6

Describe cluster A personality disorders, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 6

Characterised by oddness, eccenticity, preference of isolation and a limited number of close relationships. There is a tendency to introspection and fantasy and a suspiciousness of others

Question 7

Name the 2 cluster A personality disorders, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 7

Paranoid and schizoid

Question 8

Describe cluster B personality disorders, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 8

Characterised by flamboyance, dramatism, emotional instability, and aggressiveness towards self (sometimes others). There is a tendency to selfishness and irresponsibility

Question 9

Name the 3 cluster B personality disorders, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 9

Emotionally unstable/ borderline, histrionic, dissocial/ antisocial

Question 10

Describe cluster C personality disorders, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 10

Characterised by anxiety, prone, rigidity, and fear of new situations. There is a tendency to perfectionism and help-seeking

Question 11

Name the 3 cluster C personality disorder, as defined by ICD-10

Answer 11

Anakistic/ obsessive-compulsive, anxious-avoidant, dependent

Question 12

How did ICD-11 change the classification of personality disorder?

Answer 12

It removed all the categories and made it a single diagnosis, which could be mild, moderate, or severe

Question 13

State the community prevalence of personality disorder

Answer 13

4% - with below 1% of cases severe

Question 14

State the prevalence of personality disorder in the prison population

Answer 14

70-80%, with 50% of cases severe

Question 15

Using the ICD-10 criteria, what was the difference in prevalence between cluster A and cluster B personality disorders?

Answer 15

Cluster B prevalence was higher in inner cities, whereas cluster A prevalence was higher in rural areas

Question 16

Why might rates of personality disorder be more common in unstable countries? (Huang et al, 2009)

Answer 16

Difficulty in giving a child a consistent upbringing and childhood exposure to violence

Question 17

What is the effect of personality disorder on life expectancy?

Answer 17

It reduces it by 18 years

Question 18

What percentage of those who die by suicide have personality disorder?

Answer 18

40%

Question 19

Name the four symptom domains of borderline personality disorder

Answer 19

Affective, cognitive, behavioural, interpersonal

Question 20

State the 3 affective traits of borderline personality disorder

Answer 20

Inappropriate intense anger or difficulty controlling anger, chronic feelings of emptiness, affective instability

Question 21

State the 2 cognitive traits of borderline personality disorder

Answer 21

Transient paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms, identity disturbance

Question 22

State the 2 behavioural traits of borderline personality disorder

Answer 22

Recurrent suicidal behaviour, threats, or self-mutilation; impulsively harmful acts other than suicidal behaviour

Question 23

State the 2 interpersonal traits of borderline personality disorder

Answer 23

Frantic effort to avoid abandonment, unstable and intense interpersonal relationships

Question 24

How did DSM-IV define antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 24

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since the age of 15

Question 25

State some of the criteria for antisocial personality disorder in DSM-IV

Answer 25

Failure to conform to social norms of lawful behaviours, deception, impulsivity or failure to plan ahead, irritability and aggressiveness, reckless disregard for safety, consistent irresponsibility, lack of remorse

Question 26

Why is it difficult to assess personality disorder?

Answer 26

Individuals tend to fluctuate and often show symptoms only for brief periods, some symptoms cause agitation or a lack of cooperation, there may be confounders e.g. comorbid mood disorders

Question 27

Name a validated semi-structured interview for personality disorder

Answer 27

SCID, IPDE

Question 28

What is the main predictor of criminal behaviour? (Bohman, 1996)

Answer 28

Alcohol abuse

Question 29

Based on the Swedish adoption study, what is the risk of a child whose biological parents have a criminal record having a criminal record if their adoptive parents do not?

Answer 29

12%

Question 30

Based on the Swedish adoption study, what is the risk of a child whose biological parents do not have a criminal record having a criminal record if their adoptive parents do?

Answer 30

7%

Question 31

High levels of which big five personality trait are associated with criminal activity?

Answer 31

Openness - high levels of novelty seeking and low reward dependence

Question 32

Are genetic or environmental factors thought to be more important in personality disorder?

Answer 32

Environmental

Question 33

Name some environmental factors involved in personality disorder

Answer 33

Unstable family background, neglect, childhood physical or sexual abuse

Question 34

What percentage of people with borderline personality disorder experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse? (Brodsky et al, 1995)

Answer 34

60%

Question 35

Why might personality disorder be associated with attachment?

Answer 35

There is a great deal of overlap between the symptoms of personality disorder and insecure attachment