Personality Disorders - Pheister Flashcards
Give the (4) major determinants of personality and describe
Which one contributes the most?
- Temperament: “nature”
- Development: effects of “nurture” on biology
- Character: “nurture”
- Psyche: self awareness, ability to adapt, learn, and change
Temperament determines at least 50%
Define defense mechanism
“unconscious mental process that the ego uses to resolve conflicts”
Less obtusely: the processes that help you cope the instinct to do one thing (punch someone in the face) when you should do something else (grin and bear it)
When do defenses become pathologic?
When they remain rigid despite changing context/conditions
Give the type of defense mechanism:
- Ignoring reality
- Mentally separating parts of one’s consciousness from real-life events
- Intentionally pushing down a feeling to deal with later
- Denial
- Dissociation
- Suppression
When is personality ‘disordered’?
- Ingrained and inflexible
- Gets in the way of functioning or relationships
- Relative stability of personality
- Distressing to others
Define ‘ego-syntonic’
Define ‘ego-dystonic’
Most personality disorders are which type?
Ego-syntonic: “acceptable to the ego,” does not bother the patient
Ego-dystonic: “knows it’s a problem,” - not acceptable to the ego, do it anyway
Ego-syntonic is more common
Personality disorders have approximately what prevalance in the general population?
10-18%
Name the (3) Cluster A Personality Disorders
“Eccentric, detached”
- Schizoid PD
- Schizotypcal PD
- Paranoid PD
Schizoid PD
- Key characteristic
- Desire for relationships?
- Population prevalence? Sex prevalence
- Genetic role?
- How is this different than schizophrenia?
- Loners, emotionally detached
- No desire for relationships
- ~7.5%; M>F
- Higher incidence of psychosis in relatives
- No psychotic symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, disordered thought)
Describe Schizotypal PD
- Population prevalence?
- Genetics?
Cognitive, perceptual, and behavioral eccentricity, including beliefs such as telepathy, clairvoyance, magical thinking (to a degree that exceeds cultural norms)
- 3% of population
- Highly genetic: 33% in monozygotic studies
Paranoid PD
- Define
- Population prevalence? Sex prevalence?
- Confounding factors to treatment
- Differentiating factors from schizophrenia
- Long-standing, baseless mistrust in others, may include reading threats from non-threatening situations and extreme/pathological jealousy in relationships
- 0.5-2.5%; M>F
- Confounding: rarely seek treatment
- absent hallucinations or thought disorder; paranoia is non-bizarre and patients are generally higher-functioning than schizophrenics
Name (4) disorders in the Cluster B Personality Disorders
- Antisocial
- Borderline
- Histrionic
- Narcissistic
Borderline PD
- Define
- Population prevalence? Sex prevalence?
- Genetics?
- Pattern of intense and unstable interpersonal relationships, including frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. May include extremes of idealization (best ever, worst ever)
- May include affective instability, mood swings, and chronic feelings of emptiness
- Recurrent suicidal behavior (up to 10% succeed)
- 1-2%; F > M
- High genetic load -> high degree of MDD and substance abuse in relatives
Antisocial PD
- Define
- Sex distribution in population?
- Genetics?
- Unconcern with the feelings/rights of others and moral bankruptcy that started before age 15
- Deceit, impulsiveness
- Irritability and aggressiveness
- Reckless disregard for safety
- Consistent irresponsibility (finances?)
- Lack of remorse
- 3% of males, 1% of females
- High genetic load (5x more common if relatives have disorder)
Excessive concern with appearance and attention, exaggerated emotional response, and poor frustration tolerance are associated with what personality disorder?
Population prevalence?
Sex prevalence?
Histrionic PD
2-3%
F > M
