Personality Disorders

Personality Disorders

I. Personality Disorders

a. An inflexible pattern of inner experience and outward behavior. The pattern is seen in most of the person's interactions, continues for years, and differs from the behaviors usually expected of people. Leads to stress and impairment.

i. Odd, Dramatic, Anxious

II. Odd Personality Disorders

a. Display odd or eccentric behaviors that are similar to behaviors found in schizophrenia.

i. Suspiciousness

ii. Social Withdraw

iii. Peculiar ways of thinking

iv. Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal

b. Paranoid Personality Disorder

i. Deeply distrust others and are suspicious of their motives

ii. Shun close relationships because they think people are trying to do them harm.

iii. Excessively trust their own abilities

iv. Find hidden meanings in everything

v. Cold and distant

vi. Critical of others but do not respond to criticism well

vii. Blame others for things that go wrong in their lives and hold grudges.

c. How do theorists explain Paranoid Personality Disorder

i. Rigid fathers and overcontroling rejecting mothers (Psychodynamic)

ii. Genetic Causes (Biological)

d. Treatments for Paranoid Personality Disorder

i. Do not see themselves as needing help

ii. Do not trust the therapists

e. Schizoid Personality Disorder

i. Persistently avoid and are removed from social relationships and demonstrate little emotions.

ii. No close ties with others

iii. The genially prefer to be alone

iv. No effort in interpersonal relationships

v. Unaffected by praise or criticism

vi. Rarely show joy or anger

vii. No need for attention or acceptance

viii. Viewed as cold.

f. How do Theorists Explain Schizoid Personality Disorder

i. Psychodynamic - Unacceptable and abusive treatment of parents

g. Treatments for Schizoid Personality Disorder

i. Hard time getting them to therapy

h. Schizotypal Personality Disorder

i. Extreme discomfort in close relationships

ii. Odd patterns of thinking

iii. Behavioral eccentricities

iv. Anxious around others

v. Usually very lonely

vi. Dress Oddly

vii. Have illusions - believe that they have magic control over others

viii. Have great difficulty focusing

i. Treatments For Schizotypal Personality Disorder

i. Anti psychotics

III. Dramatic Personality Disorders

i. Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic

ii. Most commonly diagnosed personality disorders

iii. Dramatic, emotional, and erratic problems

A. Antisocial Personality Disorder

a. Psychopaths and sociopaths

b. Always disregard and violate other's rights

c. Closely linked to criminal behavior

d. Must be 18 years of age to be diagnosed

e. Display symptoms before 15 years of age

i. Truancy

ii. Running away

iii. Physical cruelty to animals or people

iv. Destroying property

v. Setting fires

vi. Lie repeatedly

vii. Impulsive, take action with out weighing consequences

viii. Irritable aggressive and quick to start fights

ix. Have little regard for their own safety or safety of others

x. Self centered

xi. Trouble maintaining relationships

xii. 3.5 percent of the population (usually in prison)

xiii. Children with conduct disorder and ADHD have a heightened risk

B. How do we explain Antisocial Personality Disorder

a. Learn by modeling or imitation (Behaviorists)

b. Trivialized the importance of other people's needs

c. Biological Problems

C. Treatments for Antisocial Personality Disorder

a. Do not want to change, forced to participate because of arrests

b. Cognitive - teach to think about moral issues and about needs of other people

c. Treatments have little or no impact

D. Borderline Personality Disorder

a. Display great instability

i. Major shifts in mood

ii. Unstable self-image

iii. Impulsivity

b. Very unstable relationships

c. Swing in and out of depressive, anxious states

d. Prone to bouts of anger

e. Feel