Lecture on Personality Disorders

Introduction

• Discussed personality disorders with self-assessment statements.
• Highlighted the unreliability of self-reporting due to ego-syntonic nature of some disorders.

Ego-Dystonic vs. Ego-Syntonic Disorders

• Ego-Dystonic: Disorders where individuals are aware and distressed by their symptoms (e.g., Bipolar Disorder, OCD).
• Ego-Syntonic: Disorders where individuals do not perceive their symptoms as problematic; often think the problem lies with others (e.g., Personality Disorders).

Personality Disorders

• Psychological disorders with inflexible, disruptive, and enduring behavior patterns.
• Can be chronic and enduring, creating noticeable life problems.
• Range from harmless narcissism to severe lack of empathy (e.g., psychopathy, sociopathy).
• Modern classification based on Kurt Schneider's work on psychopathy.

DSM 5 Clusters of Personality Disorders

• Cluster A: Odd or eccentric characteristics (e.g., paranoid, schizoid personality disorders).
• Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or impulsive traits (e.g., narcissistic, histrionic personality disorders).
• Cluster C: Anxious, fearful, or avoidant traits (e.g., avoidant, dependent personality disorders).

Controversies and Challenges

• Overlap in symptoms of different disorders (e.g., narcissistic vs. histrionic personality disorders).
• Most common diagnosis: Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDNOS).
• Proposed Dimensional Model: Assesses personality traits on a spectrum rather than discrete disorders.

Focus on Specific Disorders

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD):

  • Involves dysfunctional behaviors for psychological needs (e.g., rage, self-harm).
  • Result of traumatic or neglectful childhood environments.
  • Some psychotherapies have helped severe cases.

• Antisocial Personality Disorder:

  • Lack of conscience for wrongdoing towards others.
  • Exhibits early in life: lying, fighting, stealing.
  • As adults, may become charming con-artists or ruthless executives.
  • Genetic and environmental factors play a role in development.
  • Neural studies show reduced activity in frontal lobe, lack of empathy.

Treatment and Prevention

• Antisocial traits are challenging to treat, especially in adults.
• Early interventions for conduct disorder in children show promise.
• Channels negative traits into healthier outlets like sports or adventure.

Conclusion

• Understanding of personality disorders is still evolving.
• Discussed the bio-psycho-social roots of Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorders.

References

• Written by Kathleen Yale.
• Edited by Blake de Pastino.
• Consultant: Dr. Ranjit Bhagwat.
• Directed and edited by Nicholas Jenkins.
• Graphics by Thought Cafe.