Psychology for Everyone

Understanding personality conditions – mood, psychotic and personality conditions

From the book – Chapter 11: Mood, Psychotic and Personality Conditions

Personality conditions

A personality disorder involves long-standing, inflexible patterns that deviate markedly from cultural expectations; cause distress or impairment; are stable and of long duration; and are not better explained by another mental disorder, substance use, or medical condition. Diagnosis is usually made in adulthood.

Cluster A (odd or eccentric)

  • Paranoid: pervasive distrust and suspiciousness.

  • Schizoid: detachment from social relationships; limited emotional expression.

  • Schizotypal: discomfort in close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions, eccentric behaviour.

Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, or erratic)

  • Antisocial: disregard for and violation of others' rights; deceitfulness, impulsivity, lack of remorse (often linked to conduct disorder in childhood).

  • Borderline (BPD): instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions; impulsivity; intense fear of abandonment; self-harm in some people.

  • Histrionic: excessive emotionality and attention-seeking.

  • Narcissistic: grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy.

Cluster C (anxious or fearful)

  • Avoidant: social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism.

  • Dependent: excessive need to be taken care of; submissive and clinging; fear of separation.

  • Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD): preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control (different from OCD).

Personality disorders exist on a spectrum; not everyone fits neatly into one category. Many people improve over time, especially with therapy (for example, DBT for BPD). Labels should be used carefully to avoid stigma; focus is on understanding patterns and supporting change.

Read the full chapter – Chapter 11: Mood, Psychotic and Personality Conditions

Stories from real life

  • Eight Days Without Sleep – Vikram, twenty-eight, an advertising executive in Delhi, has not slept properly for a week. He feels brilliant. He talks fast, makes big plans to start three…
  • The Voices in Shanta’s Son – Shanta lives in a village in Odisha. Her son Mohan, twenty-two, was a quiet, hard-working student. Over the past months he has become suspicious, saying neighbours…
  • Zoe at Two in the Morning – Zoe, twenty-three, lives in Bristol. Her friendships burn bright and then collapse. When her closest friend takes longer to reply, Zoe is sure she is being…
  • Coming Home, Slowly – Sanjay, thirty-one, spent two months in hospital in Bengaluru for schizophrenia. Now he is home with his parents. He is calmer, but he is also slow,…

Shloks

  • Bhagavad Gita 5.18 – The wise see the same in a learned humble person, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and one who cooks a dog.

More on this topic: Emotions, anger and mood swings – understanding your feelings

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