Cluster B Personality Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by traits such as:
- Frantic efforts to avoid abandonment
- Unstable personal relationships
- Impulsivity that is potentially damaging, such as irresponsible spending, sex, or binge eating.
- Recurrent suicidal or self-harming behaviors
- Emotional instability
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty controlling anger
- Transient paranoid thoughts
- Dissociative symptoms
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Histrionic Personality Disorder is characterized by traits such as:
- Discomfort in situation in which they are not the center of attention
- Inappropriate seductive or provocative behavior when interacting with others
- Rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
- Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to themselves
- Style of speaking that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
- Self-dramatization and exaggeration of emotions
- Highly suggestible and easily influenced by others
- Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by traits such as:
- Disregard for right and wrong
- Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others
- Being callous, cynical and disrespectful of others
- Using charm to manipulate others for personal gain
- Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated
- Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behavior
- Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty
- Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead
- Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence
- Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse or guilt about harming others
- Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behavior with no regard for the safety of self or others
- Poor or abusive relationships
- Failure to consider the negative consequences of behavior or learn from them
- Being consistently irresponsible and repeatedly failing to fulfill work or financial obligations
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by traits such as:
- A grandiose sense of self-importance
- Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
- The belief that one is special and can only be understood by or associate with special people or institutions
- A need for excessive admiration
- A sense of entitlement (to special treatment)
- Exploitation of others
- A lack of empathy
- Envy of other people or the belief that one is the object of envy
- Arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes
How Are They Treated?
Borderline Personality Disorder
How is it treated?
- Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and schema therapy have all been shown to successfully treat the symptoms of BPD.
- Medication: Medication, such as antidepressants, may help manage some symptoms of personality disorders, but not without psychotherapy as well.
- Hospitalization and Inpatient Treatment: People with BPD are sometimes hospitalized or seen in an Emergency Room for suicidal or self-destructive behaviors. However, long-term inpatient treatment is not the norm for this condition.
What are some common misconceptions about BPD?
- People with BPD are bad people. As with any mental illness, a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder does not indicate that the person is bad or manipulating. A common sign of BPD is going to extreme lengths to fulfill one's emotional needs, but this is not usually done out of an intention of manipulation or deception.
- Only women can be diagnosed with BPD. Although it was once thought that women were more likely than men to experience BPD, it is now thought that disproportionality is due to social preconceptions about acceptable behavior for men and women. New research shows that many more men experience BPD than previously thought.
- People with BPD are just trying to get attention. Because people with BPD often suffer from recurrent suicidal behavior, it is a common misconception that they are simply trying to get attention. However, it is important to remember that 10% of people with BPD die by suicide. If someone with BPD says they are suicidal, it is important to take it seriously.
- People with BPD will never recover. Many people with BPD do recover and maintain stable relationships and jobs as a result.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
How is it treated?
Psychotherapy: The primary treatment is long-term individual psychotherapy.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
How is it treated?
Psychotherapy: The primary treatment for NPD is long-term therapy. It should be noted that people with NPD are likely to be resistant to treatment.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
How is it treated?
Psychotherapy: The primary treatment for this disorder is long-term therapy. It should be noted that people with ASPD are unlikely to be open to treatment.
From The Blog
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