Personality Disorders Overview

Introduction

• Everyone has a personality that encompasses inner and emotional experiences and outward behavior.
• A personality disorder indicates a significant deviation from expected behaviors or experiences, causing distress and impairment.
• The concept of personality disorders is controversial and not fully validated by research.

Classification of Personality Disorders

• 10 Personality Disorders divided into 3 clusters:
  • Cluster A: Odd or eccentric behaviors
  • Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic traits
  • Cluster C: Anxiety and fearfulness features

Cluster A: Odd or Eccentric

1. Paranoid Personality Disorder
   • Profound distrust and suspicion of others.
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
   • Emotional detachment in relationships, little emotion shown.
3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
   • Avoids close relationships, odd or magical thinking.

Cluster B: Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic

1. Antisocial Personality Disorder
   • Disregard for others, often involved in crime, lacking remorse.
2. Borderline Personality Disorder
   • Unstable relationships and emotions, impulsive, variable self-image.
3. Histrionic Personality Disorder
   • Attention-seeking, dramatic emotional displays.
4. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
   • Grandiose self-image, need for admiration and praise, sensitive to criticism.

Cluster C: Anxious and Fearful

1. Avoidant Personality Disorder
   • Inhibited, feels inadequate, avoids criticism.
2. Dependent Personality Disorder
   • Submissive, clingy, reliant on others for help.
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
   • Focus on order, perfection, and control, different from OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).

Differences Between Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and OCD

• OCPD focuses on orderliness and control without the compulsive behaviors of checking or cleanliness seen in OCD.

Conclusion

• Overview of 10 personality disorders across 3 clusters.
• The categorization of personality disorders is subject to ongoing research and debate.