Mental Health Study Guide
Personality Disorders:
1. What is the difference between Clusters A, B, & C?
Cluster A:
Odd, Eccentric Behaviors
Cluster B: Dramatic, Emotional, Erratic Behaviors
Cluster C: Anxious, Fearful Behaviors
1. Paranoid Personality Disorder
1. Antisocial Personality Disorder
1. Avoidant Personality Disorder
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
2. Borderline Personality Disorder
2. Dependent Personality Disorder
3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
3. Histrionic Personality Disorder
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
4. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
a. What characteristics would you see in individuals within each cluster?
Cluster A
Cluster B
Cluster C
Paranoid Personality Characteristics
1. Suspiciousness and mistrust of people.
2. Actions of others are seen as a personal threat.
3. Hypersensitivity to the motives of others, are unable to laugh at themselves, are often humorless, rigid and guarded.
4. Etiology: Tends to occur in biologic relatives of identified patients with schizophrenia.
5. More common in men than women.
Antisocial Personality Characteristics
1. Pattern of disregard for rights of others a. Repeat violations of the law b. DUI's c. Spouse and child abuse d. Alcohol and substance abuse e. Lie, cheat, and steal 2. Diagnosed based on a history of disordered life functioning (vs. mental status) 3. Lack empathy and remorse for their actions 4. Etiology: Genetics and environment Dependent Personality Disorder R: reassurance required E: expressing disagreement difficult L: life responsibilities I: initiating projects difficult A: alone N: nurturance C: companionship E: exaggerated fears Schizoid Personality Characteristics Borderline Personality Disorder 1. Pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects.
2. Marked impulsivity 3. Intense fear of abandonment 4. Intense anger and irritability 5. Chronic feelings of emptiness 6. Transient paranoia or dissociative symptoms 7. Splitting 8. Self-mutilation and recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, and threats are common.
9. Emotional deregulation, anger, impulsivity, unstable relationships, identity of self-image disturbance, abandonment fears, self-mutilation, and suicidality 10. Impairs functioning 11. Symptoms can fluctuate and increase in intensityfull complexity of disorder is difficult to appreciate during short-term hospitalizations 12. Somatic symptoms Etiology:
1. Temperament
2. Childhood experience 3. Neurologic and biochemical dysfunction 4. Stress Schizotypal Personality Characteristics Histrionic Personality Disorder 1. Likes to dramatize events and draw attention to themselves 2. Extroverted 3. Likes to be the center of attention a. Behavior is silly, colorful, frivolous, and seductive i. Temper tantrums and angry outbursts ii. Overreaction to minor events iii. Somatic complaints iv. Dissociation (to avoid feelings) 4. Speech is vague, descriptive, superficial, over embellish...