Everyone has a unique personality – no two people are exactly alike. We all have unique ways of looking at the world and relating to our experiences. When your way of thinking is different from most people and affects and inhibits your mood, behaviour, social interactions, relationships and work, you may have a personality disorder.
There are 10 personality disorders that are divided into 3 clusters:
Cluster A: Odd or abnormal behaviour
- Paranoid Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder characterized primarily by having an extreme distrust of all people. It is different from the paranoid tendencies of someone with schizophrenia or shizotypal disorder in that the paranoia does not coexist with or seem to be caused by hallucinations, fantasies or delusions.
- Schizoid Personality Disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a lack of motivation or need to interact with the outside world. Schizoid personality disorder shares two traits with schizophrenia: detachment and a lack of outward emotion. However, the two are separate disorders, as those with schizophrenia have hallucinations and other extreme symptoms that those with schizoid personality disorder do not.
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder is characterized by an extreme need to isolate oneself from others, and when forced to interact with loved ones or strangers, the person acts in an unusual or standoffish manner. Schizotypal personality disorder is sometimes a precursor to schizophrenia, although this is not always the case. It can also appear in individuals with other disorders, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder and social anxiety.
Cluster B: Dramatic or emotional behaviour
- Borderline Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder that can cause a number of issues, including extreme emotional highs and lows that seem to occur on a cycle. It can be inherited, and is thought to be related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those with Borderline Personality Disorder will begin to show symptoms upon reaching early adulthood.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder is related to conduct disorder. However, conduct disorder is diagnosed in children and teenagers, while antisocial personality disorder is diagnosed in adults. The two disorders do have some traits in common, most notably that people with these disorders resist conforming to various societal behavioural norms.
- Histrionic Personality Disorder is characterized by an extreme, constant need for attention. Those with histrionic personality disorder may manipulate situations and other people in order to keep the “spotlight” on them. This can lead to forced isolation from friends and loved ones, who tire of the dramatic actions of those with histrionic personality disorder.
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder in which the sufferer has a very inflated sense of self-esteem and feelings of entitlement. Someone with narcissistic personality disorder has a tendency to be vain and displays a lack empathy for others. Most of the people diagnosed with this personality disorder are men.
Cluster C: Anxious behaviour
- Avoidant Personality Disorder has also been called anxious personality disorder. Some professionals believe that it is related to social phobia/social anxiety disorders, due to the fear of social situations experienced by those diagnosed with this disorder. However, despite the related symptoms of the two disorders, Avoidant Personality Disorder stands on its own because of its extreme nature.
- Dependent Personality Disorder is characterized by the extreme need to rely on other people for everything, from making important decisions to going out in public. Those with this personality disorder cling to others – either psychologically or physically – in an unhealthy manner in order to avoid being alone or having to be independent.
- Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. Although the name of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder sounds similar to that of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) the two are distinctly different. OCD is an anxiety-based disorder, while obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is characterized by the need for routines and orderliness to achieve perfection and is unrelated to anxiety itself.
