When defining personality disorders, we must talk about a group of mental conditions that are characterized by presenting a prolonged pattern of behavior, emotions and thoughts that are considered foreign to the person’s expectations.
In daily life, this type of disorder can interfere with the person’s ability to manage their interpersonal relationships and work environments among other contexts.
What is a personality disorder?
Personality disorder is a type of mental disorder where a very marked pattern of thinking, behavior and performance occurs and as a general rule unhealthy.
Generally, people with personality disorders tend to have problems perceiving and relating to people and situations, leading to very important problems and limitations in relationships strong> social, activities, and even in work and educational environments.
What causes them?
In reality, and still today, most of the factors that can lead to a personality disorder are unknown.
The factors that are believed to be related to its development are mainly genetic and environmental.
Personality disorders usually begin in adolescence or early adulthood, and some become less evident as we enter middle age >.
Types of personality disorders
Personality disorders can be classified into 3 categories depending on their most distinctive characteristics, and then subdivided into up to 10 individual disorders.
Group A personality disorders
They are characterized by showing strange or unusual behaviors or thoughts.
Paranoid personality disorder
The main characteristic of paranoid disorder is mistrust and suspicion of others.
Symptoms:
- Distrust and suspicion towards others.
- Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm you.
- Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty of others.
- Distrust due to fear that they will use information against you.
- Wrong perception of comments and situations.
- Hostile reaction to perceived insults and slights.
- Tendency to be spiteful.
Schizoid personality disorder
Schizoid disorder is based on a total lack of interest in others.
Symptoms:
- Disinterest in social and sexual relationships.
- Limited emotions.
- Inability to capture social cues and enjoy most situations.
- Appear to be distant.
Schizotypal personality disorder
The basis of schizotypal disorder is strange or eccentric ideas and behavior.
Symptoms:
- Peculiar personality and clothing.
- Abnormal perceptual experiences.
- Inappropriate emotional responses or lack of expression.
- Social anxiety and lack or discomfort with social relationships.
- “Magical thinking” (believing that you have power with your thoughts over others).
- Belief that certain incidents have hidden messages that only you can understand.
Personality disorders group B
They show very dramatic behaviors or thoughts, exaggerating emotions or simply unpredictable.
Antisocial personality disorder
In antisocial disorder, social irresponsibility, absolute disregard for others, and the use of tricks or deception to manipulate and/or defraud others are shown. the people around him.
Symptoms:
- Indifference towards the feelings and violation of the rights of others.
- Use oflies, theft, nicknames… which usually lead to legal problems.
- Aggressive behavior and impulsive behaviors.
- Indifference towards the safety, both of oneself and of others.
- Irresponsibility and lack ofremorse.
Borderline personality disorder
Within the borderline disorder we find an inner emptiness, the fear of being abandoned that causes unstable relationships, and impulsive behavior. > given by problems controlling emotions.
Symptoms:
- Impulsive and risky behavior, unstable relationships.
- Unstable personal image.
- Suicidal behavior and threats of suicide and self-harm.
- Sudden changes in mood. Intense and frequent attacks of anger.
- Fear of being alone.
- Feeling of constant emptiness.
- Intermittent paranoia.
Histrionic personality disorder
People with histrionic disorder seek attention and behave in an exaggerated and dramatic way.
Symptoms:
- Constant attention seeking.
- Speeches withstrong and/or controversial opinions, but few facts to support them.
- Easy to influence.
- Emotions that change drastically and shallow.
- Excessive concern for personal image.
- Thinking that relationships are more intimate than they are.
Narcissistic personality disorder
Those who suffer from a narcissistic disorder are distinguished by the need to be admired, a lack of empathy, and a sense of grandiosity.
Symptoms:
- Evidence of egomania and arrogance.
- Fantasies of power and success.
- Inability to recognize the feelings of others.
- Exaggeration of your achievements and abilities.
- Expectations of constant admiration and favors and advantages beyond reason. They tend to take advantage of others.
- Envy or belief that others envy you.
Personality disorders group C
They often display thoughts and behaviors that include anxiety and fear.
Avoidant personality disorder
This disorder is characterized by avoidance of interpersonal contact, generally due to fear of rejection.
Symptoms:
- Excessivesensitivity to criticism.
- Fear of rejection, ridicule, shame or disapproval.
- Feeling ofinferiority.
- Avoidance of activities that involve interpersonal contact.
- Inhibition, shyness and social isolation.
- Avoidance of new activities or meetings with new people.
Dependent personality disorder
Among the characteristics of people with dependent disorder are mainly submission and dependence.
Symptoms:
- Need for people to take care of him .
- Submissive and attached behaviors.
- Fear ofloneliness.
- Lack of trust.
- Need for approval and confirmation.
- Difficulty in initiating projects and expressing disagreement.
- Tolerance towards abuse and inappropriate treatment.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
The three key points of obsessive-compulsive disorder are perfectionism, rigidity and stubbornness.
Symptoms:
- Concern for order, rules and details.
- Extreme perfectionism, rigority and stubbornness.
- Desires forcontrol.
- Refusing to socialize due to work or project commitments.
- Inability to throw away things.
- Morals and/or inflexible values.
