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Things to know

• Inflexible patterns of behavior which cause significant difficulty with social interactions
• Ego-syntonic

Cluster A  (Mad – weird)

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Characteristics

• Very suspicious of others.
• Patients tend to blame problems on others.
• Preoccupied with the trustworthiness and loyalty of others
• Feels threatened by others
• Holds grudge

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
• Anti Anxiety meds

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Voluntary social withdraw with no desire for close relationships
• They will choose to be alone and have no interest in others
• No interest in praise or criticism.

Treatment

• Group therapy
• Psychotherapy

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Patients exhibit “magical thinking” – believing in telepathy, clairvoyance and other fantasies
• Most likely personality disorder to progress to schizophrenia
• Severe social anxiety

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
• Low dose antipsychotics if necessary

Cluster B (Bad)

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Patient must be 18 years or older.  Otherwise see conduct disorder
• Pattern of disregard for the rights of others
• No empathy
• Manipulative – may appear charming
• Often a criminal pattern emerges
• History of child abuse
• History of starting fires, abusing animals etc.

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
• SSRIs
• Lithium

Borderline Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Intense mood swings, impulsive behaviors, and severe problems with self-worth
• Emotionally unstable and intense
• Difficulty controlling anger

• Cannot tolerate being alone, but exhibits intense anger/behavior with friends
• Self-mutilation and manipulative suicide attempts

Treatment

• Psychotherapy or “talk” therapy
  • Social skills training
  • Group therapy
  • Assertiveness training
• Medications
  • Beta-blockers – manages anxiety and depression, reduces sensitivity to rejection
  • SSRI – manages anxiety and depression, reduces sensitivity to rejection
    • Paroxetine
    • Sertraline
    • Escitalopram
  • Benzodiazepines – used short-term for anxiety

 

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Long standing pattern of attention-seeking behavior and a tendency to exaggerate thoughts and feelings
• Affected individuals are exuberant and extroverted
• Easily influenced by others
• Somatization and substance-use disorders are very common
• Defense mechanism: regression
• Egocentrism
• Self-indulgence
• Persistent manipulation

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
  • Individual talk therapy
  • Group therapy
• Medications
  • Antidepressants
  • Anxiolytics

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Inflated self image, pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and lack for empathy
• Long to be special, with arrogance and haughty attitude
• Fragile self-esteem, prone to depression
• Exhibitionist
• Self-fixation
• Exploitative and takes advantage of others to meet their own needs

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Group therapy
• Medications
  • Lithium – for presence of mood swings
  • Antidepressants – SSRIs
  • Mood stabilizer – Lamotrigine
  • Antipsychotic – Risperidone

Cluster C (Sad)

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Intense sensitivity to rejection
• Feel inferior and as though no one would want to be around them
• Hunger for company, but may completely avoid social situations due to fear of rejection.
• Self loathing

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
  • Group therapy
  • Social skills training

Dependent Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• Patients can not make decisions for themselves and feel others are better able to deal with the world.
• Feel helpless
• Clingy, submissive
• Fear responsibility due to low self esteem
• Fear being alone and need to form relationships for survival

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
  • Assertiveness training
  • Group therapy
  • Family therapy

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Things you should know

• OCD is ego-dystonic OCDP is ego-syntonic
• Fixation on minute details and rules.
• Obsession with lists and schedules
• Extreme perfectionism
• Inflexible and change in routine may cause significant anxiety
• Obsessive cleanliness or hoarding
• Polarised beliefs – things are either right or wrong

Treatment

• Psychotherapy
  • Group therapy
  • Behaviour therapy
• SSRIs

 

Study Tips

Write your own test questions.  You will see certain patterns develop in how questions must be asked.

 

Key Terms and Ideas

• Which personality disorder cluster is referred to as Bad?
  • Cluster B
• The term “magical thinking” should make you think of which disorder?
  • Schizotypal personality disorder
• Which is ego-syntonic OCD or OCPD?
  • OCPD
• Which personality disorder involves a person who desires the company of others, but is terrified of social situations of any kind?
  • Avoidant personality disorder

 

 

 

<< Click here to get 23 Psych questions straight from my book, The Final Step >>