Personality Disorders : A Personality Disorder

People who suffer from personality disorders usually have chronic interpersonal difficulties and problems with ones identity or sense of self . People with personality disorders can often cause as much difficulty in the lives of

Personality disorders are included as mental disorders on Axis II of the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association and in the mental and behavioral disorders section of the ICD manual of the World Health Organization Personality disorders are conditions in which an individual differs significantly from an average person, in terms of how they think, perceive, feel or relate to others. Changes in how a person feels and distorted beliefs about other people can lead to odd behavior, which can be distressing and may upset others There are three recognized personality disorder clusters, cluster A odd and eccentric, Paranoid Personality Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder dramatic and emotional, Borderline Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder and anxious and fearful Avoidant Personality Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Personality Disorders: Management

We’ve all experienced the feeling that we’ve moved into a different life, dissociation from reality, just mild like when we daydream, delve into a good book or become engrossed with a project. But then after that, we do still come back to reality. However, some people are diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder or the popular multiple personality disorder (MPD). This differ from mild dissociation that all of us commonly experience. People who have this live a fairly complicated life. Sadly, people who have this experience traumatic physical, sexual or emotional abuse during their childhood.

Within the realms of psychology, classification systems are imperative and allow for appropriate organization and proper descriptions of a patient’s psychological diagnosis. (Hunsley, J. & Lee, M. Catherine, 2010). Classification is a central element of all branches of science and social science, and is how clinicians perform their job to diagnose patients. The two, main types of classification systems are the categorical approach and the dimensional approach. In a broad view, the categorical approach is an one in which a person or object is determined to either be a member of a specific category or not, and the dimensional approach is based on the assumption that the object or person being classified differs in the extent to which they possess certain characteristics and properties (Hunsley & Lee, 2010). The controversy over dimensional versus categorical approaches to diagnosis as manifested in the recent development and publication of the DSM-V is a debate that is one to take note of. Numerous limitations and benefits to both the categorical and dimensional approaches exist, and are widely discussed by researchers when speaking of the production of the DSM-V in regards to personality disorders (PDs). This paper will mainly focus on the diagnosing of one with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and how the changes from the categorical approach to dimensional approach in the recent

The diagnostic process for personality disorders currently covers a broad scope of various tests and symptoms, causing a source of frustration for psychiatrists (Aldhous). The symptoms and side effects of several personality disorders can tend to blur together, making diagnosis challenging (Aldhous). Most psychiatric patients are diagnosed with several personality disorders at once, with twenty percent of people with personality disorders simply diagnosed with a “personality disorder not otherwise specified” (Aldhous). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, commonly referred to as the DSM, psychiatrists attempt with great difficulty to categorize their patients into a specific disorder, only to diagnose

These disorders can have a serious effect on an individual’s quality of life. Personality disorders have a far-reaching affect, not only affecting the individuals themselves, but also their families and loved ones and their work colleagues.

Personality is all the characteristic ways that made up a person including the ways we behave and think. However, when it comes to these characteristics interfering with our daily relationships, cause distress to ourselves and others, or in general disrupt

Personality disorders are very defined and recognized in today’s society. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides common language and standards to classify mental disorders. The DSM is used by many people in varying disciplines in many other countries. In times past, people with disorders may have been misunderstood, outcast from community, or even persecuted. However, in our current culture the pendulum has swung in the other direction. People are tricky creatures to study due to the complexity and magical way our brain works. Very little is known, even less is understood about how and why we work the way we do.

Dombeck, M., Hoermann, S., Zupanick, E.C. (2011). Personality Disorders: Problems with current diagnostic system. MentalHelp. Retrieved on 14th March, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=569

Personality disorders are very defined and recognized in today’s society. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides common language and standards classifying mental disorders. The DSM is used by many people in varying disciplines in the USA as well as many other countries. In times past, people with disorders may have been outcast from a community or even persecuted. However, in our current culture the pendulum has swung in the other direction. It almost seems that there is a trend to explain all behavior by a mental disorder. This results in needing to disprove that certain people are not displaying a disorder, rather acting within a normal human emotion or

Scrutinized personality disorders on 138 patients over a six year period in a secure facility according to (Alexander, T. R. et al. 2010) questioned whether clinical comparison in offenders " is it possible to diagnose personality disorders in people across the whole range of ID, that is, from mild to profound disabilities” (p. 651) and vice versa is it possible to have the entire range of personality disorder in persons with ID diagnosed, statistically no, "experimental difficulties are infinite and personality disorders cannot be established diagnostically in those that have sever levels of ID, evidence, "established differences from mild to moderate ranges of ID is now widely clinically accepted" (p. 651). However, behavioral measurement methods

Ever since the dawn of clinical psychology, every effort has been made by those versed in its practice to understand, identify, and when possible, to help to heal the pathological and dysfunctional processes that we now call mental disorders. Among the many different varieties of mental disorders that clinical psychologists can now identify, there are perhaps none that are as mysterious in nature, or are as challenging to threat as those which are designated as Personality Disorders. Such disorders are characterized by persistent and enduring patterns of internal, cognitive and emotional experiences, and subsequent outward behaviors that differ significantly from those of other individuals within the surrounding culture (APA, 2013). As with

The official definition of a personality disorder is “a psychopathological condition or group of conditions in which an individual 's entire life pattern is considered deviant or nonadaptive although the individual shows neither neurotic symptoms nor psychotic disorganization” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I interpret to mean that there is some pattern of conditions that makes the person seem a divergent compared to other people of the same age group and gender. Even though people have these conditions, they show nothing that makes them seem inconsistent with brain activity or anything like neurosis, which is a class of mental disorders that are derived from distress, but do not include hallucinations or delusions.

Personality disorder (PD) as researched, have burned many staff out such as community mental health workers. Prison officers, nurses who worked in a high security settings, and nurses in specialist personality disorder units and so on are not left out. Although the nurses working in the community felt less secure in their work setting compared with the staff working in a personality disorder units. Linehan in his research stated that patients with diagnosis of PD are at increased risk for the following; substance abuse, relationship issues, and unemployment (Linehan, 1993). This being said, the attitudes of staff especially clinical psychologist towards PD patients either inpatient or in the community are categorically grouped into positive or negative influence.

Over the past few units, I have greatly expanded my knowledge about several different psychological topics. Though many of the topics that were discussed sparked my interest, there were two types of disorders that furthered my knowledge, but also eliminated some stereotypes that I had about them. The two main areas that I learned more about regarding these disorders were characteristics of the disorders and different methods of treatment. A common theme that has been discussed in multiple different units is that several psychological disorders can have similar symptoms and characteristics. It is crucial to understand what makes one psychological disorder different than another one. Determining what type of disorders an individual might have can lead to better and more accurate treatment options; treatments methods are important because they help individuals manage their disorders. The two disorders that I found to be the most important and most interesting are borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia.