Personality Disorders
Your personality is what makes you unique. It’s a blend of the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that shape how you experience and engage with the world. This pattern, influenced by both your genes and life experiences, guides the relationships and choices you make throughout your life.
What Exactly is a Personality Disorder?
When personality traits become inflexible and unhealthy, significantly disrupting a person's life, it's considered a personality disorder. These mental health conditions create challenges in relationships, at work and other important areas.
The 10 Personality Disorders and How to Recognize Symptoms
Cluster A, B and C Personality Disorders
Mental health professionals recognize 10 distinct types of personality disorders. They’re organized into three clusters grouped by their similar characteristics:
- Cluster A: Odd or eccentric thinking and behavior
- Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior
- Cluster C: Anxious or fearful thinking and behavior
Cluster A Personality Disorders: Odd or Eccentric
Paranoid Personality Disorder
People with paranoid personality disorder tend to distrust others and suspect their motives are harmful or deceptive. They might misinterpret neutral comments as insults or assume others are plotting against them.
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Individuals with this disorder prefer to be alone and have little interest in close relationships. They may seem emotionally distant and keep their feelings to themselves.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Like schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder involves social detachment but also includes unusual patterns of thinking and perceiving things. People with schizotypal personality disorder might have odd beliefs, eccentric behavior or peculiarities in their speech.
You may notice they make unusual word choices, go off-topic and have a strange tone or rhythm. They may use odd gestures or movements and make awkward eye contact.
Additionally, individuals with schizotypal personality disorder may feel the presence of someone who isn't there or have unusual bodily sensations. They may also have magical thinking, superstitions or believe they have special powers.
Diagnosing and Treating Cluster A Personality Disorders
These disorders are diagnosed through a psychological evaluation by a mental health professional. Treatment typically involves psychotherapy to help the person develop coping and social skills while addressing any underlying issues. Medication might be used for related conditions like anxiety or depression.
Cluster B Personality Disorders: Dramatic, Emotional or Erratic
Antisocial Personality Disorder
People with antisocial personality disorder repeatedly disregard or violate the rights of others. Symptoms include being deceitful, impulsive and showing a lack of remorse for hurting others.
For example, a person with antisocial personality disorder might repeatedly lie to get money or avoid responsibility. They might also display a pattern of angry outbursts. Reckless behavior is common, too, such as driving under the influence or seeking out dangerous sexual interactions.
Treatment for antisocial personality disorder often involves therapy, and sometimes medication, to help manage other problems like anger or aggression.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
People with BPD have intense emotional swings, unstable relationships and difficulties with self-image. They may also have traits of impulsivity, intense fears of abandonment and engage in self-harm. Their moods can change very quickly, and their relationships with others may be intense and unstable.
There’s no single cause for borderline personality disorder. It seems to develop from a mix of different things like:
- Differences in brain structure and function
- Stressful or traumatic life events
- Genetics may cause some people to be more vulnerable
Therapy, especially dialectical behavior therapy, is the primary treatment. It helps people learn skills to manage their emotions, improve their relationships and cope with distress.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
People with histrionic personality disorder are very emotional and want to be the center of attention. They may act dramatically, be very outgoing and constantly seek approval.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is beneficial for treating histrionic personality disorder. It helps people understand their behavior and learn healthier ways to relate to others.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Traits of narcissistic personality disorder include feeling more important than others, needing a lot of admiration and lacking empathy. Acting entitled or believing you deserve special treatment are common behavior examples. Often, people with this disorder have unrealistic fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or love, too.
Talk therapy for narcissistic personality disorder is tricky, because people with this disorder may not think they have a problem.
Cluster C Personality Disorders: Anxious or Fearful
Avoidant Personality Disorder
When someone has avoidant personality disorder, they’re extremely sensitive to criticism and feel inadequate. They have a strong fear of rejection and often steer clear of social situations, even everyday ones, because they're afraid of being judged or disliked.
To treat avoidant personality disorder, therapy, especially social skills training, is recommended. It helps people learn to cope with their fears and improve social interactions.
Dependent Personality Disorder
People with dependent personality disorder have a strong desire to be taken care of and trouble making their own decisions. For example, they might have difficulty making everyday decisions — like what to wear or eat — without asking others for advice. They might agree even when they disagree, because they fear losing support or approval.
Therapy can help people with dependent personality disorder become more independent and confident.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
OCPD is characterized as a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism and control. People with this disorder are often rigid in their routines, have trouble delegating tasks and are overly devoted to work.
OCD Personality Disorder vs OCD: What’s the Difference?
OCPD is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While OCPD involves a need for order, OCD is an anxiety disorder with obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors).
When to Talk to a Doctor
Personality disorders are complex conditions. If you're concerned about yourself or someone you know, it's best to consult a healthcare professional. Your primary care doctor is a good starting point and can refer you to a mental health specialist for accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.