Personality disorders are chronic mental illnesses that can range from mildly unsettling to severe. They arise from a persons home environment as well as from genetic and chemical causes. Treatment options include psychotherapy (counseling), medications, and self-help approaches. Some people may need the personalized attention that only hospitalization can provide.
A personality disorder must fulfill several criteria. They cannot be diagnosed just on the basis of one characteristic. Patients with personality disorders are characterized by persistent and rigid patterns of behavior and thinking. Personality disorders are usually recognizable by adolescence and continue throughout adulthood, and become less obvious throughout middle age.
The following information is an overview of the ten clinically diagnosed personality disorders and their symptoms.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
A pattern of disregarding or actually violating others rights, which usually includes most of the following:
- Failure to conform to lawful behaviors
- Deceitfulness
- Impulsiveness
- Irritability and aggression
- Disregard for safety
- Irresponsibility
- Indifference to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
Avoidant Personality Disorder A pattern of feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity, and social inhibition, which usually involves: Avoidance of interpersonal contactFear of being shamed or ridiculedPreoccupation with being criticized or rejected sociallyActing inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacyFeelings of being socially inept, unappealing, and inferiorReluctance to be embarrassed Borderline Personality Disorder A pattern of instability and shallowness in ones personal relationships, usually related to ones self-image and marked by: Impulsiveness in areas that are potentially self-damagingFrantic efforts to avoid abandonmentRecurrent suicidal talk and/or behaviors or self-mutilating behaviorEpisodes of extreme irritability or anxietyFeelings of emptinessParanoia Dependent Personality Disorder A chronic need to be taken care of along with a fear of being abandoned. Symptoms include: Clinging behaviorDifficulty making everyday decisions on one's ownThe need for others to assume responsibility for most major areas of lifeDifficulty initiating projects or doing things on one's ownExcessive need to please othersFeelings of helplessness when alone
Histrionic Personality Disorder Excessive emotionality and attention seeking, demonstrated by: Discomfort at not being the center of attentionProvocative or sexually inappropriate behaviorRapidly shifting and shallow emotionsOverly theatrical and dramatic emotional expressionBeing easily influenced by others or circumstancesThe belief that relationships are more intimate than they actually are Narcissistic Personality Disorder A chronic need for admiration, a lack of empathy with others, and absorption with oneself, usually including: A grandiose sense of self-importancePreoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal loveBelief that he or she is special and should only associate with other special peopleA need for excessive admirationTaking advantage of othersBeing unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and controlat the expense of flexibility and efficiencydemonstrated by: Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedulesExcessive devotion to work and productivityExclusion of leisure activities and friendshipsOver-conscientiousness about matters of morality and ethicsA reluctance to delegateRigidity and stubbornness
Paranoid Personality Disorder A pattern of distrust and suspicion, often demonstrated by: Suspicion that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or herUnjustified doubts about others loyalty or trustworthinessFear of confiding in othersReading hidden meanings into harmless remarks or eventsUnforgiving attitudesQuick, angry reactions. Schizoid Personality Disorder A pattern of being detached from and unemotional in social relationships, demonstrated by: Avoidance of close relationshipsSolitary activitiesLittle, if any, interest in sexual relationshipsPleasure in few, if any, activitiesLack of close friends or confidants other than immediate family membersIndifference to others praise or criticism Schizotypal Personality Disorder A pattern of acute discomfort with close relationships, combined with distortions of thought and perception, and eccentric behavior, demonstrated by: Odd beliefs that influence behaviorUnusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions.Suspicion and paranoiaOdd, eccentric, or peculiar behavior/attitudes.Lack of close friends or confidants other than immediate family membersExcessive anxiety around others
RESOURCES: Online Screening for Personality DisordersNew York University School of Medicine http://mcrcr4.med.nyu.edu/psych/screens/personality.html The Personality Disorders InstituteCornell University http://www.borderlinedisorders.com US Department of Health and Human Services http://www.hhs.gov Last reviewed September 2006 by Marcin Chwistek, MD Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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