Chapter 19: Personality Disorders Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the definitions, prevalence, and nursing considerations for Cluster A, B, and C personality disorders as discussed in Chapter 19.

Personality Disorder

A clinical disorder where individuals display significant challenges in self-identity or self-direction and have problems with empathy or intimacy within their relationships.

Emotional dysregulation

A term describing poorly modulated mood characterized by mood swings, which is often amplified by personality disorders.

Diathesis-stress model

An etiology model for personality disorders that considers biological factors (genetic, neurobiology, neurochemistry) and psychological factors (environmental, system factors).

Cluster A

A group of personality disorders characterized by odd or eccentric behaviors, such as social isolation and detachment, including Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal personality disorders.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

A disorder affecting about $2\%$–$4\%$ of people characterized by strong distrust, suspicion of others, and the belief that people want to harm, trick, or take advantage of them.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

A disorder where individuals show little emotion, prefer to be alone, and may struggle in school; it affects around $5\%$ of people and is linked to a family history of schizophrenia.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A disorder involving distorted thoughts and perceptions, magical thinking, and severe social anxiety, occurring in about $0.6\%$–$4.6\%$ of people.

Cluster B

A group of personality disorders characterized by dramatic, erratic, or unpredictable behaviors and problems with impulse control, including Borderline, Narcissistic, Histrionic, and Antisocial disorders.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

A disorder involving intense mood shifts, impulsivity, antagonism, and fear of abandonment, occurring in up to approximately $6\%$ of people.

Splitting

A primary defense mechanism where an individual views people as either all good or all bad, often adoring someone and then rapidly devaluing them.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

A disorder characterized by a disregard for others' rights, antagonistic and disinhibited behaviors, most prevalent from teens to the mid-$20s$.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

A disorder characterized by a strong need for attention, excessive emotions, self-centeredness, and a low tolerance for frustration, affecting about $2\%$ of people.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A disorder marked by grandiosity, a strong sense of entitlement, and a lack of empathy; it is estimated to affect $0\%$–$6\%$ of the population.

Cluster C

A group of personality disorders characterized by anxious or fearful behaviors, rigid patterns of social shyness, and a need for orderliness, including Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive disorders.

Dependent Personality Disorder

A disorder where the individual relies heavily on others and fears being alone, affecting about $0.5\%$ of people.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

A disorder characterized by low self-esteem, feeling inferior to others, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, occurring in about $2.4\%$ of people.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

A common disorder ($2\%$–$8\%$ prevalence) characterized by perfectionism, a need for control, orderliness, and limited emotional expression.

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

An advance-practice psychotherapy intervention used for personality disorders, particularly those in Cluster B such as Borderline Personality Disorder.

Limit setting

A nursing intervention essential for managing manipulative or threatening behaviors by establishing clear and realistic boundaries and consequences.