Personality Disorders
(Click the blue hyperlinks below to learn more about each disorder.)
There are 10 types of personality disorders that can be grouped into three different categories called clusters.[1] These include:
CLUSTER A - These personality disorders involve unusual thoughts and behaviors.
Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) - A person has paranoia (an extreme fear and distrust of others). They may think that someone is trying to harm them.
Schizoid Personality Disorder - A person prefers to be alone and is not interested in having relationships with others; this is different than introversion.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder - A person has unusual thoughts and ways of behaving and speaking. They are uncomfortable having close relationships with others.
CLUSTER B - These personality disorders involve dramatic and emotional thoughts and behaviors that can keep changing. Antisocial personality disorder, in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - A person has lots of trouble managing their emotions. This makes them impulsive and uncertain about how they see themselves and lead to a lot of trouble in their relationships.
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) - A person is dramatic, has strong emotions, and always wants attention from others.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) - A person lacks empathy and wants to be admired by others. They think that they are better than others and that they deserve special treatment.
CLUSTER C - These personality disorders involve anxious and fearful thoughts and behaviors.
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) - A person is very shy and feels that they are not as good as others. They often avoid people because they fear rejection.
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) - A person depends too much on others and feels that they need to be taken care of. They may let others treat them badly because they are afraid of losing the relationship.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) - A person needs control and order. They are perfectionists and can be inflexible. Although some of the symptoms are similar, this is different than obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Contributed by: Jennifer (Ghahari) Smith, Ph.D.
REFERENCE
1 NIH: National Institute of Health. (n.d.) Personality Disorders. (accessed 12-13-2023) https://medlineplus.gov/personalitydisorders.html