Personality Disorders

Question 1

What are personality disorders?

Answer 1

Mental health disorders that affect the way people manage their feelings and the way they relate to other people.

Question 2

How does the American Psychotic Association classify personality disorders?

Answer 2

An enduring pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individuals culture. IT manifests in 2 of the following areas:
Cognition
Affectivity
Interpersonal functioning 
Impulse control

Question 3

What are some examples of Cluster A personality disorders?

Answer 3

Paranoid Personality disorder
Schizoid Personality disorder
Schizotypal Personality disorder

Question 4

What are cluster A personality disorders?

Answer 4

The prominent problems are with the perceived safety of interpersonal relationships.

Question 5

What is the diagnostic criteria of Paranoid personality disorder?

Answer 5

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 as indicated by 4 or more of the following:

Suspects without sufficient basis that others are harming, exploiting or deceiving them.

Is preoccupied with unjustified doubts bout the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates.

IS reluctant is confide in others because of unwarranted fear that info will be used against them.

Reads hidden demanding or threatening meaning into benign marks.

Persistently bears grudges .

Perceives attacks on their character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react.

Has recurrent suspicions without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner.

Question 6

What is the diagnostic criteria of Schizoid Personality Disorder?

Answer 6

A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts as in indicated by 4 or more of the following:

Neither desires nor enjoys close relationships including being part of a family.

Almost always chooses solitary activities.

Has little if any interest in having sexual experiences with another person.

Takes pleasure in few activities.

Lack close friends or confidants other than 1st degree relatives.

Appears indifferent to praise or criticism of others.

Shows emotional coldness, detachment or flattened affectivity.

Question 7

What is the diagnostic criteria of Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

Answer 7

A pervasive pattern od social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with and reduced capacity for close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behaviour, beginning early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts as indicated by 5 or more of the following:

Ideas of reference

Odd beliefs or magical thinking that influence behaviour and is inconsistent with subcultural norms.

Unusual perceptual experiences including bodily illusions.

Odd thinking and speech

Suspiciousness or paranoid ideation.

Inappropriate or constricted affect.

Behaviour or appearance that is odd, eccentric or peculiar.

Lack of close friends or confidants other than 1st degree relatives.

Excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgements about self.

Question 8

What are cluster B personality disorders?

Answer 8

The prominent problems are with keeping feelings tolerable without acting.

Question 9

What are some examples of cluster B personality disorders?

Answer 9

Antisocial personality disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder

Histrionic personality disorder.

Question 10

What are the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality disorder

Answer 10

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since 15years as indicated by 3 or more of the following:

Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviours as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.

Deceitfulness as indicated by repeated lying use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure.

Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.

Irritability and aggressiveness as indicated by related physical fights or assaults.

Reckless disregard for safety of self or others.

Consistent irresponsibility as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behaviour or honour financial obligations.

Lack of remorse as indicated by being indifferent to rationalising having hurt mistreated or stolen from another.

Must be at least 18 years
Evidence of conduct disorder with onset 15 years
Occurrence of antisocial behaviour is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Question 11

What is the diagnostic criteria for Borderline personality disorder?

Answer 11

A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects and marked impulsivity, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts as indicated by 5 or more of the following:

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

A patter of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterised by alternating between extremes of idealisation and devaluation.

Identity disturbance, markedly and persistently unstable self image or sense of self.

Impulsivity in at leats 2 areas that are potentially self damaging e.g. spending, sex, substance abuse, binge eating etc.

Recurrent suicidal behaviour gestures or threats.

Affective instability due to marked reactivity of mood.

Chronic feelings of emptiness.

Inappropriate intense anger or difficulty controlling anger.

Transient stress related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

Question 12

What is the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality disorder?

Answer 12

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and lack of empathy, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts as indicated by 5 or more of the following:

Has a grandiose sense of self importance.

Is preoccupied by fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love.

Requires excessive admiration.

Believe that they are special and unique and can only be understood by high status people.

Has a sense of entitlement.

IS interpersonally exploitative.

Lacks empathy and is unwilling to recognise or identify with feelings/needs of others.

Is often envious of other or believes that other are envious of them.

Shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes.

Question 13

What is the diagnostic criteria of Histrionic Personality Disorder?

Answer 13

A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking beginning in early adulthood and is indicated by 5 or more of the following:

Uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the centre of attention.

Interaction with other is often characterised by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behaviour.

Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions.

Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to themselves.

Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail.

Shows self-dramatisation, theatricality and exaggerated expression of emotion.

Is suggestible

Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.

Question 14

What are cluster C personality disorders?

Answer 14

The prominent problem relates to anxiety and how it is managed.

Question 15

What are some examples of cluster C personality disorders?

Answer 15

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder.

Avoidant personality disorder.

Dependent personality disorder.

Question 16

What is the diagnostic criteria for Dependent Personality disorder?

Answer 16

A pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behaviour and fears of separation. Indicated by 5 or more:

Has difficulty making everyday decisions without excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others.

Needs others to assume responsibility for most major areas of their life.

Has difficulty expressing disagreement with others because of fear of loss of support or approval.

Has difficulty initiating projects or doing things on their own.

Goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others to the point of volunteering to do things that are unpleasant.

Feels uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of exaggerated fears of being unable to care for themselves.

Urgently seeks another relationship as a source of care and support when a close relationship ends.

Is unrealistically preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of themselves.

Question 17

What is the diagnostic criteria of Obsessive compulsive disorder?

Answer 17

A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness and efficiency. Indicated by 4 of the following:

Preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organisation or schedules to the extent that the major point of activity is lost.

Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion.

Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships.

Is overconscientious, scrupulous and inflexible about matter of morality, ethics or values.

Unable to discard worn out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value.

Is reluctant to delegate tasks or do work with other unless they submit to their way of doing things.

Adopts a miserly spending style towards both self and others, moment is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes.

Shows rigidity and stubbornness.

Question 18

What is the diagnostic criteria of avoidant personality disorder?

Answer 18

A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. Indicated by 4 or more of the following:

Avoid occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact because of fears of criticism, disapproval or rejection.

Unwilling to get involves with people unless certain of being liked.

Shows restraint within intimate relationships because of fear of being shamed or ridiculed.

Preoccupied with being critics or rejected in social situations.

Inhibited in new interpersonal relationships because of feelings of inadequacy.

Views self as socially inept, personally unappealing and inferior to others.

Unusually reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in any new activities because they may prove embarrassing.

Question 19

What are some treatment methods for Personality disorders?

Answer 19

Dialectic behavioural therapy.
Mentalisation based treatment.
Symptomatic prescribing
Co-occurring mental illness.

Needs at least 18months of treatment.