A Personality Disorder is a persistent and enduring pattern of self, thoughts, feelings, and behavior that is pervasive and inflexible, occurring across a variety of situations and settings such as work, school, and interpersonal relationships. The symptoms of a Personality Disorder are at odds with the patient’s culture. Onset of a Personality Disorder occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood, characterizes the patient’s functioning over long periods of time, and results in impairment or distress.
There are several different Personality Disorders, as follows:
• Paranoid Personality Disorder involves
chronic distrust and suspiciousness toward others.
• Schizoid Personality
Disorder involves disengagement from social relationships and
limited emotional expressiveness.
• Schizotypal Personality
Disorder is characterized by great discomfort in social
relationships, eccentric behavior, and distortions in
thoughts or perceptions.
• Antisocial Personality
Disorder is diagnosed when the patient exhibits a pervasive
pattern of disregard for others and violation of the
rights of others.
• Borderline Personality
Disorder involves instability in interpersonal relationships,
emotions, self-perception, and chronic impulsivity.
• Histrionic Personality
Disorder is diagnosed when the patient exhibits exaggerated
attention seeking behavior or excessive displays of
emotion.
• Narcissistic Personality
Disorder is diagnosed when the patient exhibits a pattern of
grandiosity, need to be admired, and poor empathy with
others.
• Avoidant Personality
Disorder involves social withdrawal, hypersensitivity to
rejection, and chronic feelings of inadequacy.
• Dependent Personality
Disorder is characterized by an excessive need to be taken care
of which results in submissive and clingy behavior.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality
Disorder involves excessive preoccupation with perfectionism,
control, and order.
• Personality Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified) is diagnosed when the patient
is considered to have a Personality Disorder but does not
meet criteria for any specific Personality Disorder.