Personality Disorders Flashcards
1
Q
Describe clusters of PD
A
Cluster A (odd, bizarre, eccentric): - paranoid PD - schizoid PD schizotypal PD Cluster B (dramatic, erratic): - anti-social PD - borderline PD - histrionic PD -narcissistic PD Cluster C (anxious, fearful): - avoidant PD - dependent PD - obsessive-compulsive PD
2
Q
Describe schizophrenia
A
- Major changes in individual’s thinking, behaviour and emotions that are characterised by significant perceptual disturbances
- Paranoia, delusions, psychosis often lead to offending
- Psychosis leads to inaccurate view of reality and makes individual unable to think clearly
3
Q
Describe major affective disorder
A
- Dramatic fluctuations in mood states e.g. bipolar, depression (leads to interference with functioning)
4
Q
What is a personality disorder?
A
- Disorder resulting from the disturbance of the usual development process
5
Q
Describe psychopathy
A
- Clinical term (not mental illness)
- Specific type of anti-social PD
- ## Assessed using PCL-R (Hare, 1991)
6
Q
How do brain injuries/drug misuse relate to PDs
A
- Problems in cognitive functioning, changes in personality, impairments in concentration, memory and functioning
- Around 1/3-1/2 of those with mental illness/disorder suffer substance abuse
7
Q
Describe paranoid PD
A
- Persuasive, persistent and suspicious of others
- Expect others to use and exploit them and think negatively about them and are conspiring against them
- Obsessed with testing loyalties of others
- Similarities with schizophrenia
- More common in males
- Symptoms begin in childhood (e.g. secluding self, poor relationships)
8
Q
Describe schiziod PD
A
- Reject company of others, very few relationships, withdraw self from society due to lack of interest in others
- Appear self-absorbed
- Lack of emotional expression/gestures
- Score low on agreeableness and extraversion in Big Five
- Lack of pleasure-seeking behaviour; find interest in very few things
- No interest in sex
- Emotions are usually muted
9
Q
Describe schizotypal
A
- More open than schizoid PD (often want o social life but are unable)
- Links to schizophrenia (considered to be between normal and schizophrenia)
- Have illusions, odd beliefs, superstitious
- Struggle with close relationships, experience discomfort, diminished capacity for close relationships
- Suspicious of others which leads to inability to form/maintain relationships
10
Q
Describe anti-social PD
A
- Disregard for others, no remorse
- Don’t care about social rules so don’t obey them
- Deceitful, persistent lying
- Manipulate others for personal benefit
- Unable to plan ahead so act on impulse
- Act aggressive, most common PD in violent offenders
- 4x more common in males
- Must have diagnosis for conduct disorder as a child then diagnosed as ASPD upon entering adulthood
- Likely to have. premature death
- Often engage in self-harm and substance use
11
Q
Describe borderline PD
A
- Unstable personal relationships
- Insecure personal identity
- Impulsive
- Fear of abandonment so often cling, harass, act intrusive
- Self-destructive behaviour e.g. drug use, unsafe sex,
- 75% of those are diagnosed are women
- Often engage in para-suicde (frequent, unsuccessful suicide attempts)
12
Q
Describe histrionic PD
A
- Overly dramatic
- Child-like attention seeking behaviour
- Easily influenced
- Important for them to be considered attractive, often spend lots of money on improving appearance
- Sexually provocative, use sex to get what they want
- Lack of mental development, often result of parental abandonment which leads to childlike behaviour throughout adulthood
13
Q
Describe narcissistic PD
A
- Require constant attention
- Lack of empathy, often exploit/manipulate
- Destructive relationships
- Jealous, arrogance
- Thought to be on increase due to society’s increasing selfishness
Rarest of PD (around 1% of population) - Unrealistic high opinion of self, self-proclaimed uniqueness that is often not accurate
- Parents often blamed for encouraging/appreciating false talents that don’t exist
14
Q
Describe avoidant PD
A
- Inadequate feelings, oversensitive to criticism, social avoidance
- Can lead to avoiding relationships due to fear of shame and low self-esteem
- Often want a social life but unable to maintain one
- Often combined with depression
15
Q
Describe dependent PD
A
- Lack confidence
- High levels of anxiety
- Allow others to make decisions for them
- Unlikely to express anger towards others to avoid pushing others away
- Extreme fear of separation which leads to clinging and neediness
- Often accept things they know are wrong to avoid conflict (e.g. can act as false alibis/witnesses)
- Frequently victimised
- Maternal deprivation plays a role, never lose need for a caregiver
16
Q
Describe obsessive-compulsive PD
A
- Abnormal focus on detail
- Stick to routines
- Unnecessary adherence to rules
- Prefer work to pleasure but usually bad workers as preoccupied with perfections and detail
- Poor partners as have a lack of warmth
- ## Feel uncomfortable taking part in leisurely activities
17
Q
Stats on PDs and crime
A
- 4% of general population and 65% of prison population have a PD
- 47% of prison population have anti-social PD
- high rates of BPD in female prison population
- Cluster B are 10x more likely to have a criminal conviction
Cluster A and C are no more likely to be a violent offender
18
Q
Cluster A PDs and crime
A
Paranoid - violent, sadistic, morbid jealousy
Schizoid - indifference to feelings, use people, see people as objects
Schizotypal - bizarre fantasies, conflict
19
Q
Cluster B PDs and crime
A
Borderline - impulse killings, domestic violence, stalking
Anti-social - behaviourally criminal, violent, disregard for others, 15% are psychopathic,
Histrionic - para-suicide, lie in court, deceive and manipulate others
Narcissistic - stalkers, fantasies, rage, sacrifice others for personal gain
20
Q
Cluster C PDs and crime
A
Avoidant - serial victims, poor witnesses
Dependent - provide false alibis, easily coerced
Obsessive-compulsive - rigid, impose will on family
