Coach Ziana, CBT, CLC

Personality Disorders

Coach Ziana, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

A personality disorder is a mental health condition that has continuing disruptive patterns of thinking and behaviour, affecting moods and how one relates to others. These patterns cause distress and can impair their ability to function.

There are 10 types of personality disorders, each with different characteristics and symptoms.

These disorders can create distorted perceptions of reality, abnormal behaviours and distress at work, in relationships and social functioning.  Adding to the complexity of the situation, people with a personality disorder may not recognize their troubling behaviours or the negative effect they have on others. They can be difficult to diagnose since most people with personality disorders don’t think there’s a problem with their behaviour or way of thinking.

PLEASE NOTE: My reference guide is the one I used during my training in the Neuroscience of Normal and Abnormal Human Behaviour: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (DSM-5), the standard reference publication for recognized mental illnesses.

My source for some of this research was The Cleveland Clinic, so credit goes to them for the following. (It was faster and easier to share the info from their site than to type it all in word by word.  However, their material is also according to the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (DSM-5). The active links below will take you over to their site for more in-depth information.  

The 10 types of personality disorders fall into three main clusters (categories). Each cluster has different symptoms in common.

Cluster A personality disorders

Cluster A personality disorders: unusual, eccentric thinking or behaviours including: 

• Paranoid personality disorder: The main feature of this condition is paranoia, which is a relentless mistrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason for suspicion. People with paranoid personality disorder often believe others are trying to demean, harm or threaten them.

• Schizoid personality disorder: This condition is marked by a consistent pattern of detachment from and general disinterest in interpersonal relationships. People with schizoid personality disorder have a limited range of emotions when interacting with others.

• Schizotypal personality disorder: People with this condition display a consistent pattern of intense discomfort with and limited need for close relationships. Relationships may be hindered by their distorted views of reality, superstitions and unusual behaviors.

Cluster B personality disorders

Cluster B personality disorders involve dramatic and erratic behaviors. People with these types of conditions display intense, unstable emotions and impulsive behaviors.

• Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD): People with ASPD show a lack of respect toward others and don’t follow socially accepted norms or rules. People with ASPD may break the law or cause physical or emotional harm to others around them. They may refuse to take responsibility for their behaviors and/or display disregard for the negative consequences of their actions.

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD): This condition is marked by difficulty with emotional regulation, resulting in low self-esteem, mood swings, impulsive behaviors and subsequent relationship difficulties.

• Histrionic personality disorder: This condition is marked by intense, unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. For people with histrionic personality disorder, their self-esteem depends on the approval of others and doesn’t come from a true feeling of self-worth. They have an overwhelming desire to be noticed by others, and may display dramatic and/or inappropriate behaviors to get attention.

• Narcissistic personality disorder: This condition involves a consistent pattern of perceived superiority and grandiosity, an excessive need for praise and admiration and a lack of empathy for others. These thoughts and behaviors often stem from low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.

Cluster C personality disorders

Cluster C personality disorders involve severe anxiety and fear.

• Avoidant personality disorder: People with this condition have chronic feelings of inadequacy and are highly sensitive to being negatively judged by others. Though they would like to interact with others, they tend to avoid social interaction due to the intense fear of being rejected.

• Dependent personality disorder: This condition is marked by a constant and excessive need to be cared for by someone else. It also involves submissiveness, a need for constant reassurance and the inability to make decisions. People with dependent personality disorder often become very close to another person and spend great effort trying to please that person. They tend to display passive and clinging behavior and have a fear of separation.

• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD): This condition is marked by a consistent and extreme need for orderliness, perfectionism and control (with no room for flexibility) that ultimately slows or interferes with completing a task. It can also interfere with relationships. (This is a separate condition from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is classified as an anxiety disorder. While people with OCD usually are aware that OCD is causing their behavior and accept they need to change, people with OCPD usually have little, if any, self-awareness of their behaviors.)

Note that people might have mixed symptoms of more than one personality disorder.

Disclaimer: If you or someone you know potentially has a personality disorder, it is always best to get a proper diagnosis from a qualified professional. I'm including this information on my site for educational purposes, and hopefully, to bring understanding to the human condition.