Personality Disorders (general overview) - Exam 2 Flashcards
what are personality traits?
enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts.
at what point do personality traits constitute a personality disorder?
when they are inflexible and maladaptive and cause significant functional impairment or subjective distress
what are 4 characteristics of the pattern seen in a personality disorder?
1- pervasive and inflexible
2- onset in adolescence or early adulthood
3- stable over time, but may mellow with age
4- leads to distress or impairment
are patients with personality disorders likely to refuse help and deny their problems?
yep
do these patients feel anxiety about their maladaptive behavior?
no
do these patients appear interested or not interested in treatment?
not interested
why do they not have insight into their disorder?
because they do not acknowledge pain from what others perceive as their symptoms
what axis of DSM-IV are personality disorders coded on?
axis II
if a patient meets criteria for more than one disorder, which one should be listed first?
the most significant one should be listed first
what are some adverse outcomes from having a personality disorder?
1- physical injury (fights, reckless behavior)
2- suicide attempts
3- unplanned pregnancy, risky sex
4- comorbid anxiety, mood, substance d/o
5- less favorable response to tx for depression, anxiety, or substance abuse
6- functional impairment
who is personality disorder more common in?
- men vs women
- high SES vs low SES
- educated vs uneducated
- employed vs unemployed
men, low SES, uneducated, unemployed
what are some behaviors suggestive of personality disorder?
mood swings, angry outbursts, anxiety sufficient to cause difficultly making friends, need to be center of attention, feeling of being widely cheated or taken advantage of, difficulty delaying gratification, not feeling there is anything wrong with their behaviors, blaming the world for their behaviors and feelings.
Which disorders belong to cluster A and how do these people appear?
Paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal. They appear odd and eccentric.
patients with a family history of _________ have a higher likelihood of having a disorder from cluster A?
schizophrenia
which disorders belong to cluster B and how to they appear? (pneumonic: No Booze After Hours)
Narcissistic, Borderline, Antisocial, Histrionic. They often appear dramatic, emotional, and erratic.
