PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Robert A. Bashford, M.D.
Associate Professor
Michael Hill, M.D.
Associate Professor
UNC Department of Psychiatry
What is a personality??
Types of personality traits are limited and can be conceptualized as dimensional
A generally consistent (but personal) style of interacting with the world and other people
Our ‘character’ is reflected in how we think, what and who we like, and how we respond to life
It is generally stable over time
allows some predictability
No trait or style is automatically indicative of disorder or disease (don’t confuse eccentricity with disorder)
What is a disorder?
Implies functional impairment / failure to achieve what is expected and/or significant and persistent emotional distress
In the case of Personality Disorders this is by definition a result of a ‘maladaptive’ personality style
What are the most ‘basic’ expectations of our culture
Indepedence
What are the most ‘basic’ expectations of our culture
Indepedence
Follow the rules
What are the most ‘basic’ expectations of our culture
Indepedence
Follow the rules
Maintain long-term relationships
Personality Disorders
An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture.
Manifested in two or more of the following:
(1) cognition
(2) affectivity
(3) interpersonal functioning
(4) impulse control
Personality Disorders
Pattern is enduring, inflexible, pervasive
Pattern is stable, of long duration
Not better accounted for by another mental disorder
Not due to substance or medical condition
Personality Disorders
Maladaptive behavior leads to poor life functioning
Ego syntonic (others are the root of all problems)
High incidence of co-morbidities (depression, anxiety, substance abuse)
Axis I disorders in PD patients are harder to treat
Difference between health and pathology one of degree (personality traits vs personality disorder)
How do personality disorders develop?
Genetic predispositions + environmental influences (including parenting, life experiences) + time = Personality formation
Obviously in a Personality disorder something in this complicated formula has gone wrong to lead to a maladaptive personality, but it is always very hard to pinpoint specific or simple causes.
What are the problems with
Personality Disorders as a diagnostic category?
Labels are often pejorative
Diagnosis is contextual and thus somewhat arbitrary
Bad, obnoxious, hard-to-treat patients often get these labels whether justified or not
Treatment may be mis-directed
Personality Disorder Clusters
Cluster A - Odd, eccentric
Cluster B - Dramatic, emotional, erratic
Cluster C - Anxious, fearful
Cluster A Personality Disorders
(‘odd & eccentric’)
Paranoid
Schizoid
Schizotypal
May be premorbid to schizophrenia in some cases
Paranoid Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive distrust and suspiciousness, sees motives of others as malevolent. Four or more of the following:
(1) suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her
(2) preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates
(3) reluctant to confide in others b/c lack of trust
Paranoid Personality Disorder
(4) persistently bears grudges, i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights
(5) reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks/events
(6) Perceives attacks on character or reputation that are not apparent to others and responds with counterattacks
(7) has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner
Characteristics of Paranoid
Personality Disorder
Aloof, emotionally cold
Unjustified suspiciousness, hostility
Hypersensitivity to slights, jealousy
Rigid, unforgiving, sarcastic, litigious
Prevalence: 1-2%; M>F
Therapy, including meds, of little value – trusting relationship is key but hard to come by b/o
‘self-fulfilling prophecy’
Schizoid Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression interpersonally. Four or more of the following:
(1) neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family
(2) almost always chooses solitary activities
Schizoid Personality Disorder
(3) little interest in having sexual experiences with another person
(4) takes pleasure in few, if any, activities
(5) lacks close friends or confidants
(6) appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others
(7) emotionally cold, detached
Characteristics of Schizoid
Personality Disorder
Can perform well in solitary activities (computers, night watchman)
Limited emotional range, detached, daydream a lot
NO increased risk for schizophrenia but many may actually suffer from autism-spectrum disease
“Loners” not necessarily schizoid, unless functioning impaired (traits vs disorder)
Treatment of little help
Prevalence 2%; M>F
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Little capacity for close relationships accompanied by cognitive or perceptual disturbances and eccentricities of behavior
(1) ideas of reference
(2) odd beliefs or magical thinking, inconsistent with cultural norms
(3) unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
(4) odd thinking and speech (e.g.,vague, circumstantial,metaphorical,over elaborate)
(5) suspiciousness or paranoid ideation
(6) inappropriate or constricted affect
(7) behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar
(8) lack of close friends or confidants
(9) excessive social anxiety r/t paranoid fears
Characteristics of Schizotypal
Personality Disorder
Isolated, anhedonic, aloof but also
“peculiar”
Strange intra-psychic experiences, odd and magical beliefs
Reason in odd ways (ideas of reference)
Anxious, detached
NOT psychotic proportions
3% incidence; M=F
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
This is the closest DX to ‘Hollywood mental illness’
Increased incidence of schizophrenia in family members
Low dose antipsychotic meds may help with more peculiar sx (but if so then what diagnosis do they really have??)
Cluster B Personality Disorders
(‘emotional, dramatic, erratic’)
Antisocial
Borderline
Histrionic
Narcissistic
Antisocial Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of rights of others since age 15 indicated by 3 or more of the following:
(1) repeatedly breaking the law
(2) deceitfulness - repeated lying, use of aliases, conning others for personal profit or pleasure
(3) impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
Antisocial Personality Disorder
(4) irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
(5) reckless disregard for safety of self or others
(6) consistent irresponsibility - inconsistent work behavior, doesn’t pay bills/debts
Antisocial Personality Disorder
(7) lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt,mistreated, or stolen from another
B. The individual is at least age 18 years.
C. There is evidence of Conduct Disorder with onset before age 15 years.
D. Antisocial behavior does not occur exclusively during Schizophrenia or a
Manic Episode
Characteristics of Antisocial
Personality Disorder
Aggressive, irresponsible, truant as teens.
Get into fights, abuse substances, run away, cruel to animals, set fires, do poorly in school, repeated lying.
As adults see criminality, assaultiveness, impulsivity, substance abuse
More than 50% of prison population has
ASPD, 3% of population, M:F 3-5:1
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Childhoods: rejection, neglect, abandonment, poverty, inconsistent discipline
30% of fathers criminals, 50% of fathers alcoholics, chronically unemployed
Male first degree relatives have increased incidence of antisocial personality disorder, substance abuse
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Female first degree relatives have increased incidence of Somatization Disorder
Possible genetic component – gender effects may be relevant (BPD in women)
Increased incidence of non-specific EEG changes (increased slow-wave activity)
May be charming, manipulative
Antisocial Personality Disorder
The terms Antisocial PD, sociopathy
(sociopath) and psychopathy (psychopath) are, for the most part, interchangeable
“Antisocial” does not mean asocial
Rarely seek help for personality change
Treatment is unsuccessful – which is why we often discount this diagnosis
Borderline Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affect with marked impulsivity by early adulthood.
Five or more of the following:
(1) Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
(2) Pattern of intense and unstable interpersonal relationships, alternating b/w extremes of idealization and devaluation
Borderline Personality Disorder
(3) identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
(4) impulsivity in at least two potentially selfdamaging areas (sex, spending, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)
(5) recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
(6) affective instability w/ marked reactivity of mood, lasting few hours to few days
(7) chronic feelings of emptiness
Borderline Personality Disorder
(8) inappropriate, intense anger
(9) transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms (micropsychotic episodes)
Characteristics of Borderline
Personality Disorder
Death by suicide in 8%
2%-4% incidence, M:F 1:2
Tend to stabilize in their 40’s or 50’s
Increased prevalence of major depression and substance abuse in first degree relatives
The “borderland” between neurosis and psychosis
Borderline Personality Disorder
Almost always seem in a state of crisis
Unpredictable, impulsive behavior
Can’t tolerate being alone
Splitting and projective identification as defenses
High incidence of major depression
Treatment is psychotherapy and symptom-targeted pharmacotherapy, DBT
Comprise 10-20% of all psychiatry admissions
Histrionic Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive excessive emotionality and attention seeking. Five or more of these:
(1) is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention
(2) interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior
Histrionic Personality Disorder
(3) displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
(4) consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
(5) has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
(6) shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion
(7) is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others
(8) considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are
Characteristics of Histrionic
Personality Disorder
Colorful, dramatic, extroverted behavior in excitable, emotional persons
Inability to maintain deep, long-lasting attachments
Prevalence 2-3%, F>>M
Exaggeration of thoughts and feelings everything is catastrophic or of extreme importance
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Temper tantrums, tears, seductive behavior, coy and flirtatious behavior
Endless need for reassurance
Superficial relationships, vain, selfabsorbed
Treatment is directed towards clarification of inner feelings, psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy. Five or more:
(1) grandiose sense of self-importance, expects to be recognized as superior
(2) preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
(3) believes he/she is “special,” unique and can only be understood by or should associate with other special people
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
(4) requires excessive admiration
(5) sense of entitlement
(6) interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
Characteristics of Narcissistic
Personality Disorder
<1% of general population; M>F
Become enraged at criticism
Fragile self-esteem, prone to depression
Their behavior produces interpersonal difficulties, rejection, loss, occupational problems, which they can’t handle
Chronic, difficult to treat
Aging is handled poorly
Treatment: psychotherapy; poor prognosis
Cluster C Personality Disorders
(‘fearful and anxious’)
Avoidant
Dependent
Obsessive-Compulsive
Avoidant Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. Four or more:
(1) avoids occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact b/c of fears of criticism, disapproval or rejection
(2) is unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked
Avoidant Personality Disorder
(3) shows restraint within intimate relationships because of the fear of being shamed or ridiculed
(4) is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations
(5) is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy
(6) views self as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others
(7) is unusually reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in new activities for fear of embarrassment
Characteristics of Avoidant
Personality Disorder
Extreme sensitivity to rejection leads to socially withdrawn life
They have “an inferiority complex”
Uncertain, lack self-confidence, selfeffacing
Withdraw and feel hurt if a request is refused or if they feel rejected or ridiculed
0.5-1.0%; M=F
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Often take jobs “on the sidelines,” shy and eager to please
Subject to depression, anxiety, anger, phobic avoidance
Unlike schizoid, long for relationships
Treatment: Group or individual psychotherapy, SSRIs
Diagnosis overlaps greatly with Generalized
Social Phobia
Dependent Personality Disorder
(diagnostic criteria)
Pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of, leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation. Five or more:
(1) has difficulty making everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others
(2) needs others to assume responsibility for most major areas of his or her life
(3) has difficulty expressing disagreement
Dependent Personality Disorder
(4) has difficulty initiating or doing things on own
(5) goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others
(6) feels uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of exaggerated fears of being unable to care for himself or herself
(7) urgently seeks another relationship as a source of care and support when a close relationship ends
(8) is unrealistically preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of himself or herself
Characteristics of Dependent
Personality Disorder
Persons with chronic physical illness in childhood may be more prone to the disorder
May stay with an abusive, unfaithful or alcoholic partner rather than face being alone
Treatment: Psychotherapy, often successful
Prevalence: very common; M=F
Compulsive Personality Disorder
A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.
Four (or more) of the following:
(1) preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost
(2) shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion
Compulsive Personality Disorder
(3) is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships
(not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)
(4) is overly-conscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics,or values
(not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)
(5) is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value
Compulsive Personality Disorder
(6) is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things
(7) adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes
(8) shows rigidity and stubbornness
Characteristics of Compulsive
Personality Disorder
Prevalence unknown, more common and in oldest children; M=F
Backgrounds: harsh discipline
Stiff, formal and rigid demeanor, constricted affect
Preoccupied with rules, regulations, orderliness, neatness, details and achievement of perfection
Indecisive b/c afraid of making a mistake, ruminate concerning decisions
Formal, serious, may lack a sense of humor
Compulsive Personality Disorder
Lack flexibility, intolerant
Do well with routines and poorly with changes
Unable to compromise in interpersonal relationships
When recurrent obsessions or compulsions are present, a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder should be made on Axis I
More likely to seek treatment than those with other personality disorders
Personality Disorder Not
Otherwise Specified
Don’t meet criteria for any specific personality disorder, but traits cause significant impairment in social or occupational functioning
Very common diagnosis
Movies Depicting Personality
Disorders
Paranoid – The Caine Mutiny
Schizoid – Remains of the Day
Schizotypal –
Antisocial – Natural Born Killers
Borderline – Fatal Attraction, Single White
Female
Movies Depicting Personality
Disorders
Narcissistic – Titanic (the rich fiancé)
Histrionic – Streetcar Named Desire
(Blanche Dubois)
OCPD – The Odd Couple (Jack Lemmon)
Avoidant –
Dependent – What about Bob? (Bill
Murray)