Kinds of Personality Disorders

Any mental health condition which involves continuing and troublesome patterns of thoughts, disruptive mood, and abnormal behavior is considered a personality disorder. These thinking and behavior patterns usually cause momentous distress to the individual, impairing their natural ability to function properly.

Around 5-6 percent of the world’s population is suffering from one or more types of personality disorders. What is even more surprising is that majority of such cases go unnoticed until they bring about life-threatening outcomes. Since the rate of such incidents is continuously rising, it is important to educate people about such mental health conditions so that they can recognize them in time and seek medical advice.

This article will provide you with a brief overview of the different kinds of personality disorders and their distinct symptoms and characteristics.

The standard reference publication for identified mental illnesses is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). And according to this standard, there are around 10 different types of personality disorders which are broadly categorized into three clusters. The types included in one cluster have many symptoms in common.

This includes personality disorders involving uncommon and unusual thoughts and behaviors. These include:

• Paranoid personality disorder: Paranoia, mistrust, and undue suspicion are its common characteristics.
• Schizoid personality disorder: It includes consistent feelings of disinterest and detachment with limited interactive emotions.
• Schizotypal personality disorder: It is a prolonged feeling of intense discomfort, superstitions, and distorted views.

This includes disorders characterized by dramatic behaviors. The affected individuals have intensely unstable and impulsive behavior.

• Antisocial personality disorder: Its common symptoms are lack of respect, disregard for people, deliberately causing emotional and physical harm to others and refusal to take responsibility for their actions.
• Narcissistic personality disorder: The affected individual craves praise and admiration, doesn’t have a sense of empathy and is usually struck with low self-confidence.
• Borderline personality disorder: It is marked by difficult regulation of emotions with often results in abrupt mood swings, low self-esteem, and impulsive behaviors.
• Histrionic personality disorder: Unstable emotions, slanted self-image, not recognizing your self-worth, and practicing attention-seeking stunts are visible manifestations of this disorder.

These disorders have anxiety, fear, and anguish feelings as prominent symptoms. They include:

• Avoidant personality disorder: People affected with such disorders avoid others because they fear negative judgments from other people. They usually avoid social gatherings due to the fear of being rejected.
• Dependent personality disorder: It marks an excessive need of an individual to be cared for by others. Such individuals need constant reassurance that people care for them. They cannot usually make decisions and are under constant fear of separation.
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD): First of all, this condition must not be confused with OCD which is an obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is an anxiety disorder while this is a personality disorder often characterized by an extreme need for perfectionism, orderliness, and no instinct for flexibility.

Disorders related to personality often began during your teens. If identified in time, the situation can be managed pretty well. However, if the disorder goes unnoticed, it is likely to aggravate and can be life-threatening.

If you are noticing any unusual change in your personality or your loved ones, please don’t ignore it and consult a certified mental healthcare practitioner today. Our mental health facility is located in the City Avenue District of Philadelphia and provides services to Haverford, Havertown and nearby areas. Contact us online or call us at 484-373-2710 for more information about our mental health services.