Personality Disorders

Personality disorder

An enduring pattern of experiences that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture, manifested in cognition, affectivity, impulse control, and interpersonal function.

What are the characteristics of personality disorders?

• Enduring pattern of experience that deviates markedly to societal expectation

• Inflexible and pervasive

• Causes significant distress/social impairment

• Stable and long-lasting

• Not attributable to another disorder or substance use

Cluster A disorders

Odd/eccentric behaviour, social withdrawl, may have unusal beliefs or perceptual experiences

Paranoid PD, schizoid PD

Cluster B disorders

Dramatic, emotional or erratic behaviour, struggle with impulse control, have difficulty maintaining relationships

ASPD, BPD, NPD, HPD

Cluster C disorders

Anxious and fearful behaviour, fears of rejection and abandonment, need for control and perfectionism

avoidant PD, obsessive compulsive PD, dependent PD

Development of personality disorders

Personality disorders develop through the interplay between genes, temperament, and environmental reactions, including links between abuse/neglect and the development of different types.

What is an example of a schema related to personality disorders?

Abandonment schema is rooted in unmet needs for secure attachments during childhood.

What are core psychological needs relevant to personality disorders?

Core psychological needs include secure attachments, autonomy, sense of identity, competence, self-control, emotional expression, and spontaneity, freedom to express needs and emotions

How can maladaptive schemas lead to personality disorders?

If upbringing fails to meet core psychological needs or meets them too excessively, maladaptive schemas can form, potentially leading to personality disorders.

What neuroscientific findings are associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?

People with BPD show reduced volumes of matter in the amygdala and hippocampus, raising questions about whether this is a cause or consequence of the disorder.