Personality disorders are maladaptive, inflexible responses to stress. They are pervasive, affecting almost all areas of a person’s life.
People with personality disorders tend to believe that the problem lies not within themselves but in their surrounding environment, and they are often not distressed by the disorder because they do not recognize in themselves what others observe. They may have a remarkable ability to irritate others.
In most cases, personality disorders are not associated with psychosis.
Personality disorders are associated with numerous complications, including depression, violence, suicide, antisocial behavior, and substance or medication abuse.
For convenience, they are categorized into:
• Eccentric disorders: paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.
• Dramatic or emotional disorders: antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.
• Anxious or fearful disorders: avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.
References:
Kaplan & Sadock: Synopsis of Psychiatry, twelfth edition
Kaplan & Sadock: Pocket Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry, fifth edition;
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, 1994;
Robert J. Waldinger: Psychiatry for Medical Students, third edition, translated by Anastas Suli.