Personality Disorder | Types And Symptoms Of Personality Disorders| In Psychology

 

                          Personality disorder

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A personality disorder is a mental illness in which you have a strict and harmful way of thinking, functioning, and acting. A personality disordered individual has difficulty perceiving and connecting to circumstances and others. Relationships, social activities, job, and school are all hampered as a result of this.

 

You might not know you have a personality disorder since your style of thinking and acting appears normal to you. You may also blame others for your difficulties.

Personality problems often start in adolescence or early adulthood. Personality problems come in a variety of forms. During middle age, certain kinds may become less noticeable.

What are the different types and symptoms of personality disorders?

Personality disorders are complicated mental health issues that can range in severity from moderate and treatable to severe and long-term effects on a person's capacity to function. They can have a negative impact on many aspects of a person's life, including how they act, think, and feel on a daily basis, how they comprehend and connect to others, and their general well-being.

There are ten different types of personality disorders, and the symptoms you encounter will most likely differ depending on which one you're dealing with, as well as from person to person. You may find that you meet the criteria for multiple distinct types of personality disorders, while others with entirely different backgrounds and personalities may be diagnosed with the same disease.

1. Borderline Personality Disorder:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a disorder in which people have trouble controlling their emotions. This indicates that persons with BPD have a harder time returning to a stable baseline following an emotionally provoking incident since they feel emotions deeply and for long periods of time.

·         Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling or binge eating	·         Unstable or fragile self-image
·         Unstable and intense relationships	·         Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress
·         Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury	·         Intense fear of being alone or abandoned
·         Ongoing feelings of emptiness	·         Frequent, intense displays of anger
·         Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes

 

2. Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Antisocial personality disorder patients appear to thrive on confrontation. They may engage in verbal or violent altercations with individuals they don't even know, such as a shop clerk, since they are unconcerned with societal norms prohibiting such behaviour. They also have a proclivity towards legal issues and litigation. Antisocial personality disorder patients are often harsh in interpersonal relationships and exhibit no remorse. Antisocial personality disorder can also lead to drug and alcohol abuse.

·         Disregard for others' needs or feelings	·         Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, conning others
·         Recurring problems with the law	·         Repeated violation of the rights of others
·         Aggressive, often violent behavior	·         Disregard for the safety of self or others
·         Impulsive behavior	·         Consistently irresponsible
·         Lack of remorse for behavior

 

3. Histrionic Personality Disorder:

Extremely emotional, overwrought, or theatrical conduct in settings that do not merit it is a symptom of histrionic personality disorder. Such theatrical conduct is intended to draw attention to the individual. People with histrionic personality disorder devote a lot of attention to their looks and are always looking for other people's acceptance.

·         Constantly seeking attention	·         Excessively emotional, dramatic or sexually provocative to gain attention
·         Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back them up ·         Shallow, rapidly changing emotions	·         Easily influenced by others
·         Excessive concern with physical appearance	·         Thinks relationships with others are closer than they really are

 

4. Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

People with narcissistic personality disorder often have inflated senses of self-importance that conceal their insecurities. Narcissists are prone to exploiting the other person in interpersonal interactions without guilt. When it comes to criticism or failure, narcissists are very sensitive. Physical aches and pains are common in people with this disease, which cannot be linked to any medical reason.

·         Belief that you're special and more important than others	·         Fantasies about power, success and attractiveness
·         Failure to recognize others' needs and feelings	·         Exaggeration of achievements or talents
·         Expectation of constant praise and admiration	·         Arrogance
·         Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages, often taking advantage of others	·         Envy of others or belief that others envy you

 

5. Avoidant Personality Disorder:

The dread of rejection and criticism that characterises avoidant personality disorder leads to a difficulty to form meaningful connections with others. Avoidant personalities have a tremendous need to be liked by everyone, and they are devastated if they fear they have made a mistake in front of others. They tend to avoid social settings as much as possible due to their emotional fragility.

·         Too sensitive to criticism or rejection	·         Feeling inadequate, inferior or unattractive
·         Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact	·         Socially inhibited, timid and isolated, avoiding new activities or meeting strangers
·         Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships	·         Fear of disapproval, embarrassment or ridicule

 

6. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder:

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are not the same thing (OCD). OCD is a more serious mental health condition characterised by uncontrolled thoughts and repetitive activities. On the other side, OCPD is a disease marked by perfectionism at the price of flexibility and inclusion. When it comes to work and life routines and chores, people with OCPD have a "my way or the highway" mentality. In most cases, OCPD includes highly rigorous decision-making procedures that must not be strayed from. 

 

·         Preoccupation with details, orderliness and rules	·         Extreme perfectionism, resulting in dysfunction and distress when perfection is not achieved, such as feeling unable to finish a project because you don't meet your own strict standards
·         Desire to be in control of people, tasks and situations, and inability to delegate tasks	·         Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive commitment to work or a project
·         Inability to discard broken or worthless objects	·         Rigid and stubborn
·         Inflexible about morality, ethics or values	·         Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money

 

7. Schizoid Personality Disorder:

Schizophrenia is a highly serious mental health disease that often includes hallucinations and extremely disorganised thinking. Schizoid personality disorder is not the same as schizophrenia. A schizoid personality disorder sufferer may be described as "withdrawn" or "solitary." Schizoid personality disorder causes people to be emotionally cold and obsessed with their own internal imaginations rather than the reality of life. Instead of "realists," they may be labelled as "dreamers."

·         Lack of interest in social or personal relationships, preferring to be alone	·         Limited range of emotional expression
·         Inability to take pleasure in most activities ·         Appearance of being cold or indifferent to others	·         Inability to pick up normal social cues
·         Little or no interest in having sex with another person

 

8. Schizotypal Personality Disorder:

This personality condition is not to be confused with schizophrenia. A person with schizotypal personality disorder may act oddly or hold strange ideas that isolate them from others. Extreme social anxiety frequently coexists with schizotypal personality disorder. Schizotypal personality disorder causes some people to feel they can read other people's minds.

·         Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech or behavior	·         Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing a voice whisper your name
·         Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses	·         Social anxiety and a lack of or discomfort with close relationships
·         Indifferent, inappropriate or suspicious response to others	·         "Magical thinking" — believing you can influence people and events with your thoughts
·         Belief that certain casual incidents or events have hidden messages meant only for you

 

9. Paranoid Personality Disorder:

People with paranoid personality disorder have a high level of mistrust for others. Every human engagement is a threat to them. People with paranoid personality disorder behave in highly guarded or secretive ways as a result of their warped perspective. If they believe someone is mocking or threatening them, paranoid people might become violent very fast.

·         Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives	·         Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you
·         Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty or trustworthiness of others	·         Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use the information against you
·         Perception of innocent remarks or nonthreatening situations as personal insults or attacks	·         Angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults
·         Tendency to hold grudges	·         Unjustified, recurrent suspicion that spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful

 

10. Dependent Personality Disorder:

The unwillingness or incapacity to make your own decisions or actively participate in managing your own life is a distinguishing trait of dependent personality disorder. Dependent personality disorder patients are often shy or subservient, and they seldom start relationships or initiatives. Even little decision-making can become an onerous process in dependent personality disorder, requiring input and reassurance from numerous individuals.

·         Excessive dependence on others and feeling the need to be taken care of	·         Submissive or clingy behavior toward others
·         Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone	·         Lack of self-confidence, requiring excessive advice and reassurance from others to make even small decisions
·         Difficulty starting or doing projects on your own due to lack of self-confidence	·         Difficulty disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval
·         Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are available	·         Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended

 

When to see a doctor:

Consult your doctor or another primary care provider, as well as a mental health specialist, if you have any indications or symptoms of a personality disorder. Personality disorders, if left untreated, can create serious issues in your life, which may worsen if not treated.