Personality Clusters

Personality disorders are included as mental disorders on Axis II of the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association and in the mental and behavioral disorders section of the ICD manual of the World Health Organization Personality disorders are conditions in which an individual differs significantly from an average person, in terms of how they think, perceive, feel or relate to others. Changes in how a person feels and distorted beliefs about other people can lead to odd behavior, which can be distressing and may upset others There are three recognized personality disorder clusters, cluster A odd and eccentric, Paranoid Personality Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder dramatic and emotional, Borderline Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder and anxious and fearful Avoidant Personality Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Personality Disorders: Management

A personality disorder is characterized by a distinct pattern of behavior that does not meet normal standards of behavior within one’s culture. This pattern is ingrained as the norm to the person affected, and the characteristics of the affected person deviate markedly from societal standards (Hebblethwaite, 2009). The two main features that help to identify a personality disorder are chronic interpersonal difficulties and persons with one’s identity or sense of self (Livesly, 2001). Within this set of mental health disorders lie several other subsets, including one of the most prominent personality disorders - Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is a severe, long-lasting disorder that has an incidence of occurrence approximately equal to that of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia combined (Grant, Chou, Goldstein et al., 2008). BPD also puts those affected at risk for damage in many areas of their life if not properly diagnosed and treated, including personal relationships, school, work, and self-imagine. Furthermore, this disorder has a high co-morbidity with other disorders such as depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and social phobia, among many more (Hebblethwaite, 2009). Misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder can have serious clinical implications. This paper looks to identify the risk factors associated with BPD, the affects on various aspects of the person’s life, treatments, and give recommendations as to how to properly identify and

Some specific personality disorders include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, dis-social personality disorder, impulsive type emotionally unstable personality disorder and borderline type emotionally unstable personality disorder. Unspecified personality disorders and mixed personality and troublesome personality disorders are also included.

A personality disorder is an inflexible and is usually an unhealthy way of thinking or behaving (Carey). Dependent personality disorder is a mental illness which can cause individuals to feel as if they are incapable of living or doing something independently (Faith). Dependent personality disorder is a cluster c personality disorder (Faith). Cluster c personality disorders include all of the anxious or fearful types of disorders (Faith).

However, American psychologists contributed to the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) which classify personality disorders into a number of categories (Shedler, Beck, Fonagy, Gabbard & Gunderson, 2010). The DSM-5 identifies 10 personality disorders into three categories called clusters. The first cluster consists of three disorders; the avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders (Griggs, 2014). Griggs reports that these disorders show highly anxious or fearful behaviour patterns (2014). The second cluster also involves three disorders; the paranoid, schizoid, and the schizotypal personality disorders. According to Griggs, people who are in the second cluster show eccentric or odd behaviours. There are four personality disorders in the last cluster; the antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic disorders. They show excessively dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviour patterns (Griggs,

The three main clusters of personality disorders are odd and eccentric behavior, dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior, and anxious and fearful behavior. Cluster A, Odd and eccentric behavior are personality disorders characterized by social awkwardness and social withdrawal. These disorders show a stable pattern of remarkably unusual behavior and are commonly characterized by distorted thinking. An example is Paranoid Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of other people. Next cluster B is dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors and these disorders are characterized by shared problems with impulse control and emotional regulation. An example is Antisocial Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of other people that often manifests as hostility and/or aggression. Lastly, Cluster C is anxious and fearful behavior and these personality disorders are share a high level of anxiety and represent range of symptoms for abnormal manifestations of apprehensiveness, timid, or frightened behavior. An example is Avoidant Personality Disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and a hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. People with this disorder are intensely afraid that others will ridicule them, reject them, or criticize them.

Everyone has personality traits that characterize them and make them unique. Personality disorders exist when these traits become a pattern of thoughts

As mentioned previously, there is an overlap between the personality clusters. The most significant comorbidity occurrences with ASPD include paranoid personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (Out of the Fog, 2015) See figure 4 (Appendix C). Furthermore, additional studies are suggesting that 67% of those diagnosed (DSM-IV) with a personality disorder also met the criteria for at least one other mental disorder. Antisocial personality disorder has often been found to coexist with anxiety disorders (52.4%), mood disorders (24.1%), impulse control disorders (23.2%), and substance abuse disorders (22.6%) (Out of the Fog, 2015). The common occurrences of comorbidity between the

Personality disorders is an umbrella term. There are a variety of personality disorders, and each disorder has its own unique identifier that makes them different from other personality disorders. Because each personality disorder differs from the next, these disorders are separated and is categorized by

The DSM-5 lists ten personality disorders and puts them into three groups. There are many misunderstandings about these psychological disorders. Here I will seek to clear up some of the misinformation surrounding these psychological disorders.

Unbeknownst to many, mental illness is very prevalent in society today. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) performed a study on the prevalence of mental illness among adults. The results were 32.4% of adults admitted to having some kind of mental illness within the last 12 months (Bagalman & Napili, 2014). However two thirds of these people do not seek treatment. Treatment is not sought out because of the stigma mental illness has (Thompson, 2011). People do not want to be labeled as needing medication for their illness. Mental illness can be treated and psychotic breaks prevented if people did not have a

The diagnostic process for personality disorders currently covers a broad scope of various tests and symptoms, causing a source of frustration for psychiatrists (Aldhous). The symptoms and side effects of several personality disorders can tend to blur together, making diagnosis challenging (Aldhous). Most psychiatric patients are diagnosed with several personality disorders at once, with twenty percent of people with personality disorders simply diagnosed with a “personality disorder not otherwise specified” (Aldhous). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, commonly referred to as the DSM, psychiatrists attempt with great difficulty to categorize their patients into a specific disorder, only to diagnose

Dombeck, M., Hoermann, S., Zupanick, E.C. (2011). Personality Disorders: Problems with current diagnostic system. MentalHelp. Retrieved on 14th March, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=569

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013) defines personality disorders as a pattern of internal experience and behavior that greatly differs from what is normally expected in the person’s culture. They are also considered omnipresent and inflexible that is stable and causes both distress and impairment. Antisocial personality disorder is a severe disorder of personality. It is a disorder that helps compromise the dramatic, emotional, or erratic disorders, also known as the Cluster B disorders. The Cluster B disorders are also composed of borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and histrionic personality disorder. The

Everyone has their own personality. Personality is defined as a set of individual differences that are affected by the development of an individual, which typically consists of a person’s values, attitudes, personal memories, social relationships, and skills. (McAdams, Olson, 2010, p. 517-542) There are two classifications of personalities. If you are considered Type A personality, then you are more competitive, outgoing, possibly impatient and could even be considered aggressive. While the more relaxed, laid back personalities are classified as Type B personalities. No matter which category of personality a person falls under, they can be afflicted with a personality disorder. These disorders can be such a mild version that a person doesn’t even notice that they have one. But then there are some that are affected by their disorder to the point that it completely takes over their lives. So much so that they are unable to live what’s considered a normal life.