PERSONALITY

• Normal personality can be de f hed as, "the

characteristic pe of beha: ~ modes of
nking at determine a person's adjustment to

• It inclu s the factors such a

What is a personality disorder?
A personality disorder Is a mental health condition that
involves long-lasting, all-encompassing, disruptive patterns of
thinking, behavior, mood and relating to others. These
patterns cause a person significant distress and/or impair
their ability to function .

There are 10 types of personality disorders, each with

different characteristics and symptoms.

Personality is vital to defining who we are as individuals. It

involves a unique blend of traits - including attitudes,
thoughts and behaviors - as well as how we express these
traits in our interactions with others and with the world
around us.

Personality disorders may cause distorted perceptions of

reality, abnormal behaviors and distress across various
aspects of life, including work, relationships and social
functioning . Additionally, people with a personality disorder
may not recognize their troubling behaviors or the negative
effect they have on others.
 PERSONALITY DISORDER
• According o ICD 9, bnormal personalit can
be def hed as deeply ingrain ct maladaptive
pattern of behavior, continuing t tir e
mo~ a~ lt ~ lthough often becoming
less obvious i~ dle or old age.
 C,HARACTERISTIC OF
PERSONALITY DISORDER
► It is not a mental illness.

► It is a maladaptive behavior.
► It is long lasting, most of time lifelong problems.
► It causes significant impairment in social or occupational
functioning.
► It produces distress to the individual and to others.

► These patients are odd but not mad.

What causes personality disorders?

Personality disorders are among the least understood mental health

conditions. Scientists are still trying to figure out the cause of them.

So far, they b elieve the following facto1·s may contribute to the development of

personality disorders:

• Genetics: Scientists have identified a malfunctioning gene that may be a

factor in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Researchers a1·e also

exploring genetic links to aggression, anxiety and fear, which are traits

that can play a r ole in p et·sonality disorder s.

• Brain changes: Research er s have identified s ubtle brain differences in

people with certain personality disorders. For example, findings in

studies on pru·anoid per sonality disorder point to altered amygdala

functioning. The amygdala is the part of your brain that's involved with

processing foa1"ful and threatening s timuli. In a study on schizotypal

per sonality disorder, r esearchers found a volumetric decrease in the

frontal lobe of their brain.

• Childhood ti·auma: One study revealed a link b etween childhood traumas

and the development of personality disorder s. People with borderline

personality disorder, fot· example, had especially high rates of childhood

sexual trauma. People with borderline and antisocial per sonality

disorders have issues with intimacy and tr u st, both of which m ay be

related to childhood ab use and tnuma.

• Verbal abuse: In one study, people who experienced verbal abuse as

children were three times as likely to have borderline, narcissistic,

obsessive-compulsive or paranoid personality disorders in adulthood.

• Cultural factors: Cultw·al factors may also play a role in th e development

of pe1·sonality disorders, as demonstrated by the varying r ates of

personality clisorders between different countries. For example, there

are t·emarkably low cases of antisocial personality disorder s in Taiwan,

• C1tltural factors: Cultu.r al factors may also play a t·ole in the development

of p ersonality disorders, as demonstrated by the varying rates of

personality disorders between dl{fet·ent countries. For example, there

are re1narkably low cases of antisocial personality disorders in Taiwan,

China and Japan, along with significantly higher rates of cluster C

personality disorders.
• Peers. Certain factors can help
prevent children from developing
personality disorders.
a. Even a single strong
relationship with a relative,
teacher or friend can offset
negative influences, say
psychologists.
• High reactivity. Sensitivity to
light, noise, texture and other
stimuli may also play a role.
a. Overly sensitive children,
who have what researchers
call "[Link] reactivit~," are
more likely to develop shy,
timid or anxious
personalities.

b. However, high reactivity's

role is still far from clear-
cut. Twenty percent of
infants are highly reactive,
but less than 10 percent go
on to develop social
phobias.
What are the types of personality disorders?
The Diagnostic a nd Statis tical Manual of l\tental Disorders ffiSM-5), which is

the standat·d r eference publication fot· r ecognized me ntal illnesses, organizes

the 10 types of personality disorders into three main clusters (categories).

Each cluste1· has differ ent symptoms in common .

Cluster A personality disorders

Clust et· A personality disorder s involve unusu al a nd eccentric thinking or

behaviors. These include:

• Paranoid personality disorder: The main feature of t his condition is

paranoia, which is a relentless mistrust and sus picion of othei·s wit hout

adequate reason for suspicion. People with paranoid personality disorde r

often believe others are trying to de mean, h arm or threaten them.

• Schizoid personality disorder: This condition is marked by a consist ent

pattern of detachment from and general disinterest in interpersonal

relationships. People with schizoid personality disorder have a limited

range of emotions when interacting wit h others.

• Schizotypal pe rsonality disorder: People with this condit ion display a

consistent pattern of intense discomfort with and limited need for close

relationships. Relationships may be hindered by their distoi·ted views of

reality, s uperstitions and unusual behaviors.

Cluster B personality disorders

Clust er B personality disorders involve dramatic and er ratic behaviors.

P eople with these types of conditions display intense, unst able emotions and

impulsive behaviors. Cluster H p er sonality disorder s include:

• Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD): P eople with ASPD show a lack of

respect towa rd othet·s a nd don't follow socially accepted norms or t·ules.

People with ASPD may break the law or cause physical or emotional

h arm to others a round them. Thev mav refu se to take resoonsibilitv fot·
 harm to others around them. They may r efuse to take r esponsibility for

thefr behaviors and/or display disregard for the negative consequences of

thefr actions.

• Borde rline pe1·sonality disorde1· (BPD): This condition is marked by

difficulty with emotional regulation, resulting in low self-esteem, mood

swings, impulsive behaviors and subsequent r elationship difficulties.

• Histrionic pe1·sonaUty disorder : This condit ion is marked by inte nse,

unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. For people with histrionic

personality diso1·der, thefr self-esteem depends on the app1·oval of othe1·s

and doesn't come from a true feeling of self-worth. They have on

overwhelming desb-e to be noticed by othe1·s, and may display dramatic

and/ 01· inappropriate behaviors to get attention.

• Na1·cissistic personality disorder : This condition involves a con sistent

patte1·n of perceived s uperiority and grandiosity, an excessive need for

p1·aise and [Link] and a lack of empathy for others. These thoughts

and behaviors often st em from low self-esteem and a lack of self-

confidence.

Cluster C pe1·sonality diso1·ders

Cluster C personality disorders involve sever e anxiety and fear. They include:

• Avoidaot per sonality dis01·der: People with this condition have chronic

feelings of inadequacy and are highly sensitive to b eing negatively

judged by others. Though they would Uke to interact with others, they

t end to avoid social interaction due to the intense fear of being rejected.

• Dependent per sonality diso1·de1·: This condition is marked by a constant

and excessive need to be cared for by someone else, It also involves

submissiveness, a need for constant reassurance and the inability to

make decisions. People with dependent personality disorder often

• Dep endent per sonality diso1·der : This condition is ma1·ked by a constant

and excessive need to be cared for by someone else. It also involves

submissiveness, a need for constant r eassw·ance and the inability to

make decisions. People with dependent personality disorder often

become ve1-y close to another person a nd spend great effort t1-ying to

please that person. They t end to display passive and clinging behavior

and have a feat· of separation.

• Obsessive-compuls ive pe1·sonality disorder (OCPD): This condition is

ma1·ked by a consistent and extreme need for orderliness, perfectionism

and cont1·ol (with no room for flexibility) that ulti1nately slows or

interfe1·es ,vith completing a task. It can also interfere with

relationships.

This is a separate condition from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which

is classified as an a nxiety disorder. While people with OCD usual!ly are a,vare

that OCD is causing their behavior and accept they need to change, people

,vith OCPD usually have little, if any, self-awareness of their behavio1·s.

People might have mixed symptoms of more than one personality disorder.
What are the symptoms of personality
disorders?

Each of the 10 types of personality diso1·ders has its own specific signs and

symptoms.

But, in gene ral, personality disorders involve problems with:

• Identity and a sense of self: People with a personality disorder generally

lack a clear or stable image of themselves, and how they see themselves

often changes depending on the situation or the people they're with.

Their self-esteem may be unrealistically high or low.

• R elationships: People with a personality disorder struggle to form close,

stable t·elationships with others due to their proble matic beliefs and

behaviors. They may lack empathy or respect for othe1·s, be emotionally

detached 01· be overly needy of attention [Link] care.

Another distinguishing sign of personality disorders is that n1ost p eople who

have one often have little to no insight or self-awareness of how their

thoughts and behaviors ru·e problenuitic.

 Management:
1 . ANXIOLYTIC DRUGS: 2. NEUROLEPTIC DRUGS:
ANTI PSYCHOTIC
• To treat severe stress,
• It can be useful In case of
- Alprazolam paranoid and schlzotypal
- Ativan personality disorder.
- Librium - Olanzapine
- Haloperidol
• Diazepam, etc
- Droperidol
 3. PSYCHODYNAMIC TREATMENT:
• It's also known as e insight orient.~ erapy, a form
of talk therapy that exp ores e connection between
a patient's past experiences - often from childhood &
their current mindset.
• The goal of psychodynamic therapy is a client's self-
awareness and understanding of the inf [Link] of the
past on present behavior
4. CO,GN1
ITIVE AN'. ID BEHAVIIOUR TEIHRAPY
• Most cognitive behavioral approaches
address specif c aspects of thought,
feelings, behavior, or attitude and do not
claim to treat the entire personality disorder
of the person.