It was in the year 1801 when the concept of Personality Disorders was first introduced by a psychiatrist named Philippe Pinel. Later, the concept evolved to include 3 clusters/types of disorders with 10 disorders in total.
What is a Personality Disorder?
Personality disorders make one think, feel, and behave differently than others. In other words, people with personality disorders have an unhealthy or ‘non-normal’ pattern of thinking and functioning which affects their day-to-day lives.
These are the three clusters of personality disorders:
Cluster A – Eccentric or Odd
The behavior of people with these disorders is often referred to as unusual or strange and causes social difficulties. Disorders in Cluster A include:
- Paranoid Personality Disorder: People with this disorder don’t trust others easily and are often suspicious. They also hold grudges for a long time.
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder: Hearing voices, thinking that everyday events hold secret messages, and believing one’s thoughts can impact others are some common symptoms of this disorder.
- Schizoid Personality Disorder: People with Schizoid are often unapproachable and face difficulty expressing their emotions.
Cluster B – Erratic, Dramatic, or Emotional
People with these disorders can be unpredictably dramatic, erratic, and impulsive.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder: This disorder is commonly referred to as ‘sociopaths’. They have no regard for the emotions of others and are often involved in criminal acts such as theft. Antisocial people don’t even feel any remorse or guilt after doing wrong to another person.
- Borderline Personality Disorder: Individuals with a borderline personality are impulsive and have a very fragile ego that harms their relationships.
- Histrionic Personality Disorder: A constant craving for attention makes people with this disorder dramatic and sexually promiscuous.
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Self-centeredness, arrogance, and constant craving for power, drama, and control over others makes this group of people highly manipulative and hard to deal with.
Cluster C – Fearful or Anxious
As the name suggests, people with this type of disorder are afraid of certain things and conditions. Worst part is, they always avoid facing their fears!
- Avoidant Personality Disorder: Do you immensely fear having to interact with your co-workers or going to a social event? You might have this disorder then! Criticism or rejection are the biggest fears for this group.
- Dependent Personality Disorder: Dependent on others, these people fear having to make decisions or take care of themselves. Hence, they’re always at a risk of ending up with a manipulative or abusive partner.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: Taking perfectionism to extreme levels causes people with this disorder to become rigid in their daily routine. This is what negatively impacts their relationships.
Need Help?
If you’re suffering from any of the above and want help. A licensed psychotherapist is a great first step toward your healing journey.