Personality Disorders

Question 1

What are the features of a personality disorder?

Answer 1

• An enduring pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individuals culture in cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning and impulse control
• The pattern is inflexible and pervasive
• It leads to clinically significant distress or inpairment in a range of important areas of functioning
• The pattern is stable and can be traced back to at least early adulthood
• It is not better explained by another diagnosis
• It is not attributable to a physiological change

Question 2

Give 3 Cluster A personality disorders

Answer 2

• Paranoid personality disorder
• Schizoid personality disorder
• Schizotypal personality disorder

Question 3

What is the main feature of a paranoid personality disorder?

Answer 3

A pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts including: suspicion of others wanting to cause harm, persistently bearing grudges and reluctance to confide etc.

Question 4

What is the main feature of a schizoid personality disorder?

Answer 4

• A pervasive patter of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expressions of emotions in interpersonal settings.
• No desire for close relationships, chooses solitary activities etc.

Question 5

What are the main features of schizotypal personality disorder?

Answer 5

-A pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with and reduced capacity for close relationships as well as by cognition or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behaviour

Question 6

Give examples of cluster B personality disorders

Answer 6

• Antisocial behaviour disorder
• Narcissistic personality disorder
• Borderline personality disorder
• Histrionic personality disorder

Question 7

What are the main features of antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 7

A persistent pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occuring since age 15 yrs

Question 8

What are the main features of borderline personality disorder?

Answer 8

A persistent patter of instability of interpersonal relationships, self image and affects and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood

Question 9

What are the main features of narcissistic personality disorder?

Answer 9

A persistent pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood

Question 10

What are the main features of histrionic personality disorder?

Answer 10

A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood

Question 11

Give examples of Cluster C personality disorders

Answer 11

• Obsessive compulsive personality disorder
• Avoidant personality disorder
• Dependent personality disorder

Question 12

What are the main features of dependent personality disorder?

Answer 12

A pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behaviour and fears of separation, beginning by early adulthood

Question 13

What are the main features of obsessive compulsive disorders?

Answer 13

A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood

Question 14

What are the main features of an avoidant personality disorder?

Answer 14

A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning by early adulthood