What Are Personality Disorders?

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Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 25 Jun 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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Personality Disorders, also known previously as character disorders is a broad term for a class of personality types and behaviors that describe individuals who have problems dealing with other people. The patient will typically tend to be rigid and inflexible, finding it harder than other people to respond as easily to the changes and demands that occur in life. They are seen as dysfunctional in the way they assess situations and relate to other people.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) describes a personality disorder as:

"An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the individual who exhibits it."

A personality disorder is a mental illness. The patient can become distressed when having to perform everyday functions in the workplace, school or situations involving other people.

It is not uncommon for the person with a personality disorder to believe that their behaviors and interpretations of things around them are normal. However, their thought processes and behaviors may be self-destructive and self-denigrating. In a significant number of cases other people are blamed for any problems or difficulties that occur.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:

Personality disorder is a "general term for a group of behavioral disorders characterized by usually lifelong ingrained maladaptive patterns of subjective internal experience and deviant behavior, lifestyle, and social adjustment, which patterns may manifest in impaired judgment, affect, impulse control and interpersonal functioning."

What Is Personality?

Personality is defined as a dynamic and organized set of characteristics each person possesses that uniquely influences their behaviors, motivations and cognitions in varying situations. The English word personality comes from the Latin persona, meaning "mask". The mask in the ancient Latin-speaking world was used to reflect a character rather than to disguise it.

Each person's personality defines how they perceive the world about them, their thoughts, attitudes and feelings.

Individuals with what we term healthy personalities are seen to deal with normal stress in a natural way. They are able to form proper relationships with family members, schoolmates, work colleagues and friends.

Medilexicon's medical dictionary describes personality as:

"1. The unique self, the totality of someone's conscious and unconscious cognition and interpersonal behavior and related emotional responses; the sum of the integrated and unintegrated personality traits used by an individual to relate to others.

2. Someone with a particular personality pattern."

What are the signs and symptoms of personality disorders?

According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, personality disorders are grouped into three broad clusters, A, B and C.

Cluster A personality disorders - the individual has abnormal and somewhat eccentric behavior. Other people are seen as alien. This includes:

• Paranoid Personality Disorder - the individual is suspicious and distrustful to the extreme. They might think that they are being lied to or manipulated, friends, associates and colleagues cannot be trusted, they suspect any confidential information about them will be turned against them, they may believe that remarks most people would regard as innocent are laced with hidden meanings. Despite no evidence, they may suspect their partner/spouse is disloyal.
• Schizoid Personality Disorder - the person appears aloof, detached and cold, they tend to shy away from making close social contact with others. The individual is seen as a loner and often does not know how to form a personal relationship. Others may see the person as humorless and grim. A person with schizoid personality disorder may seem uncaring because they tend not to show emotion. This is unfortunate, because in most cases the sufferer is sensitive and feels very lonely.
  
  When criticizing an individual with this kind of personality disorder they come over as uninterested. Experts say their ability to experience joy or pleasure is poor.
• Schizotypal personality disorder - there is an ongoing pattern in which they distance themselves from interpersonal and social relationships. They feel extremely uncomfortable when they have to relate to other people. There are often cognitive and perceptual distortions. People may find their eccentric behaviors confusing. Many have poor social skills and delusional thoughts.
  
  There are typically brief periods of psychotic episodes. There are delusional thoughts and insignificant daily events. Details take on a misguided significance, for example, they may believe newspaper headlines are really coded messages directed at them. They may think they are telepathic or have extraordinary empathic powers.

Cluster B personality disorder - there is also a problem relating to other people. Their behavior may be seen as disturbing, dramatic and threatening. The following disorders are within Cluster B:

• Antisocial Personality Disorder - people with this type of disorder are generally not concerned about the consequences of their actions. They appear to enjoy bullying or intimidating people, and generally see others as easy prey.
  
  An individual with this type of disorder is frequently bored, depressed and agitated. They may be deceitful and cunning and try to manipulate or take advantage of others. There appears to be no remorse or regret regarding how what they do might affect others. The problems in their lives are generally blamed on other people.
  
  
• Borderline personality disorder - the individual has unstable and often intense relationships with other people. The person may have impulses to harm himself/herself and is emotionally unstable.
• Histrionic personality disorder - there is an irresistible urge to be noticed by others and a fear of being ignored. Being at the center of everybody's attention becomes their main aim.
  
  The individual may seem not to be emotionally sincere, but at the same time displays too much emotion. Behavior may become provocative, flirtatious, inappropriate, and even seductive. There is scant concern for how others may feel. Receiving other people's approval becomes an obsession.
  
  Individuals with this type of personality disorder may have signs and symptoms that overlap with those of narcissistic personality disorder.
• Narcissistic personality disorder - patients have an inflated sense of their own importance while at the same time crave for admiration. There is little regard for the feelings of others. Most believe they are superior to people around them. However, their self-esteem is brittle, and they don't take kindly to criticism, even if it is slight and well-intended - they are easily hurt and rejected.
  
  Patients tend to fantasize about their attractiveness, success and power. They may overstate their talents or achievements, and will act as if they are special. Others are expected to along with their plans and ideas. They tend to take advantage of people around them. If they feel somebody is inferior they may treat them with scorn. There may be intense jealousy.
  
  The patient typically is unable to maintain a healthy relationship.
  
  Many will try to come over as dispassionate and tough-minded.

Cluster C personality disorder - others typically see people with this type of personality disorder as withdrawn and disinclined to mingle with people or socialize. They fear personal relationships and tend to be anxious when with other people. The following are examples of Cluster C personality disorders:

• Avoidant Personality Disorder - the individual avoids social situations and close interpersonal relationships, mainly because they are afraid of rejection. The patient often feels inadequate, has low self-esteem, and mistrusts most people. In other words, they are extremely shy, socially inhibited, extremely fearful of rejections and feel inadequate.
  
  A person with this type of disorder yearns for close relationships with other people. Their problem is a serious lack of confidence and ability to be able to form them.
• Dependent Personality Disorder - there is an excessive need to be taken care of, the individual is overly-dependent on other people. The individual is typically submissive and clingy. There is a deep fear of being separated.
  
  Unlike some disorders which display aggression, a person with this type is usually nonassertive, passive and docile. The desire to please others is uttermost in their minds and a great deal of energy is expended on this aim. Disagreeing with others may be so unbearable that they will go to great lengths to win people over. The individual is easier to take advantage of and to influence.
  
  The patient has low self confidence and usually believes his/her intelligence and abilities are low. Undertaking projects on their own or making decisions without help are enormously difficult. They tend to be pessimistic, full of self doubt, and belittle anything they may have achieved. They balk at responsibility. When they are alone they may feel helpless and uncomfortable. As soon as a relationship has ended, they will desperately seek out a new one.
• Obsessive compulsive personality disorder - there is excessive concern with perfectionism and work at the expense of close personal relationships. The individual is inflexible and feels an overwhelming need to be in control. Concerns about rules and efficiency undermine the individual's ability to relax. Others may see them as sanctimonious, uncooperative, obstinate and miserly.
  
  People with an obsessive compulsive personality disorder are worried about issues that appear out of control or messy. They are typically workaholics, are interested in lists and timetables, and have trouble completing tasks because they have to be so perfectly done. Opinions on lifestyle issues, such as ethics, morals and religion are usually extremely rigid.
  
  Delegating tasks to others is extremely difficult for those with this type of disorder.
  
  Unlike those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), individuals with obsessive compulsive personality disorder believe their behavior is normal and will resist attempts at changing them.

Sources: National Health Service, Medical News Today internal archives

Written by Christian Nordvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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