Chapter 3: Personality Disorders
Overview
Estimates suggest that roughly 10-13% of the population has a personality disorder and in the U.S. it is estimated that 9% has at least one personality disorder. They are the most common diagnoses, but are often misunderstood (Recovery Village, 2022). Personality disorders affect the way someone thinks, responds, relates, or behaves; without proper treatment it can be a long-lasting condition (American Psychiatric Association).
Personality disorders are typically treated using these strategies:
- Psychotherapy (Including: psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, dialectical behavioral, cognitive behavioral, group, or psychoeducation)
- Medications are not clearly defined, but can include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, or mood stabilizers.
- A team approach may be necessary for longer-lasting symptoms experienced by individuals.
Mayo Clinic (2022) and APA recommend the following self-care and coping strategies as well:
- Educate yourself.
- Exercise.
- Avoid substances.
- Receive regular check-ups with doctor.
- Join support groups.
- Journaling
- Stress management and relaxation techniques.
- Mitigate feelings of isolation.
Cluster A
Select each of the three hot spots below to learn more about the Cluster A Personality Disorders: Paranoid Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder, and Schizotypal Personality Disorder. Select the icon in the upper right corner to enlarge to full screen. There is a video and description for each disorder.
Cluster B
Select each of the four hot spots below to learn more about the Cluster B Personality Disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Select the icon in the upper right corner to enlarge to full screen. There is a video and description for each disorder.
Cluster C
Select each of the three hot spots below to learn more about the Cluster C Personality Disorders: Avoidant Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. Select the icon in the upper right corner to enlarge to full screen. There is a video and description for each disorder.
Other Personality Disorders
In this final selection of hot spots, learn more about other personality disorders like: Personality Change Due to Another Medical Condition, Other Specified Personality Disorder, and Unspecific Personality Disorder. There are not videos associated with these situations, but the diagnostic details are important to know.
References
American Psychiatric Association (n.d.) What are personality disorders? APA. Retrieved on August 18, 2022 from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/personality-disorders/what-are-personality-disorders
American Psychological Association (2022). Manic episode. APA. Retrieved on August 17, 2022 from https://dictionary.apa.org/manic-episode
American Psychological Association (2022). Borderline personality disorder. APA. Retrieved on August 17, 2022 from https://dictionary.apa.org/borderline-personality-disorder
American Psychological Association (2022). Narcissistic personality disorder. APA. Retrieved on August 17, 2022 from https://dictionary.apa.org/narcissistic-personality-disorder
Black, D. W., & Grant, J. E. (2014). DSM-5® Guidebook : The Essential Companion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition: Vol. Fifth edition. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Counseling Profession (2012, August 17). Paranoid personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvsfansgnY
Grande, T. (2017, June 15). Behavioral therapy counseling role-play – client with symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Johansson C and Werbart A (2020) Am I Really Bipolar? Personal Accounts of the Experience of Being Diagnosed With Bipolar II Disorder. Front. Psychol. 11:482715. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.482715
Khan Academy Medicine (2015, September 4). Schizotypal personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Khan Academy Medicine (2015, September 4). Types of depression and bipolar disorder in the DSM-5 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSXZwk8axmI
Lumen Learning (n.d.). Mood disorders. Abnormal Psychology. Retrieved on August 17, 2022 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-abnormalpsych/chapter/mood-disorders/
Marks, T. (2021, April 21). The insecurity of dependent personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Mayo Clinic (2022). Depression (major depressive disorder). Diagnosis. Retrieved on August 18, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356013
Mayo Clinic (2022). Personality disorders. Symptoms and Causes. Retrieved on August 18, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/personality-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20354463
MedCircle (2022, July 14). The 8 traits of obsessive compulsive personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Morton, K. (2013, October 21). What is avoidant personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
National Institute of Mental Health (2022). Major depression. NIMH. Retrieved on August 18, 2022 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression#part_2631
National Institute of Mental Health (2022). Bipoldar disorder. NIMH. Retrieved on August 18, 2022 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/bipolar-disorder
O’Donovan C and Alda M (2020) Depression Preceding Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. Front. Psychiatry 11:500. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00500
OSC Rice University (n.d.). Diagnosing and classifying psychological disorders. Pressbooks. Retrieved on August 10, 2022 from https://opentext.wsu.edu/ospsychrevisions/chapter/diagnosing-and-classifying-psychological-disorders/
Psych2Go (2018, March 3). 5 types of depressive disorders [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbJB02Zlh4w
Psych2Go (2020, November 23). 8 signs of antisocial personality disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Recovery Village, The (2022, August 2). Personality disorders facts and statistics. Retrieved August 18, 2022 from https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/personality-disorders/personality-disorder-statistics/
Self (2022, May 18). Every way borderline personality disorder affects my life [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Sparacino, G., Verdolini, N., Vieta, E. et al. (2022). Existing and emerging pharmacological approaches to the treatment of mania: A critical overview. Transl Psychiatry 12, 169 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01928-8
Symptom Media (2020, February 6). Schizoid personality disorder example DSM-5-TR symptoms psychology film [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEU
Symptom Media (2010, June 10). Histrionic personality disorder example case study sample DSM-5-TR film [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2prjXdnfEUschiz
Zhang T, Wang L, Bai Y, Zhao W, Wu Y, Jiang W, Fan Q and Qiu J (2021) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder: A Study Protocol of a Randomized Control Trial and a Case–Control Study With Electroencephalogram. Front. Psychiatry 12:499633. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.499633