Lecture on Personality Disorders

Introduction

• Presenter: Megan Mitchell
• Organization: Agents of Change Social Work Test Prep
• Topic: Personality Disorders
• Note: Examples provided are for educational purposes, not clinical diagnoses.

What are Personality Disorders?

• Type of mental disorder with rigid, unhealthy thinking patterns
• Difficulty relating to situations or people
• Significant disruption in areas of life (relationships, social activities, work)

Diagnosis

• Typically diagnosed at age 18 or older
• Long-term patterns of symptoms must be present

Clusters of Personality Disorders

• Cluster A: Odd and eccentric
  • Paranoid Personality Disorder
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
• Cluster B: Dramatic and erratic
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Narcissistic Personality Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Cluster C: Anxious and fearful
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder
  • Dependent Personality Disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

Cluster A: Odd and Eccentric

Paranoid Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Distrust, suspicion, unjustified fears, holding grudges
• Example: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Odd dress, thinking, beliefs, lack of relationships, magical thinking
• Example: Willy Wonka

Schizoid Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Preference for being alone, limited emotions, lack of social interest
• Example: Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants

Cluster B: Dramatic and Erratic

Antisocial Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Lying, stealing, lack of remorse, aggression
• Example: The Joker from Batman

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Inflated self-importance, need for admiration, lack of empathy
• Example: Walter White from Breaking Bad

Borderline Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Impulsivity, instability in relationships, fear of abandonment
• Example: Rachel Bunch from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Histrionic Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Attention-seeking, dramatic behavior, shallow emotions
• Example: Regina George from Mean Girls

Cluster C: Anxious and Fearful

Avoidant Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Sensitivity to criticism, avoidance of relationships
• Example: Charlie Brown

Dependent Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Need to be taken care of, clinginess, fear of being alone
• Example: Cinderella

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

• Symptoms: Orderliness, perfectionism, control issues
• Example: Steve Jobs

Study Tips

• Use examples to remember disorders
• Group disorders into clusters for easier recall
• Create flashcards and sort them by clusters

Additional Resources

• ASWB study content available at agents of change prep.com
• Contact information and further support available from Megan Mitchell.

Final Encouragement

• Remember the test is challenging but achievable
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