Rep36 Understanding Personality Disorder

Figure 1.1: 
DSM-IV Personality Disorders Grouped into Three Clusters
Cluster A 
(odd/eccentric)
Cluster B 
(dramatic/erratic)
Cluster C 
(anxious/fearful)
Paranoid
distrusting and suspicious
interpretation of the motives of
others
Antisocial
disregard for and violation of
the rights of others
Avoidant
socially inhibited feelings of
inadequacy, hypersensitivity to
negative evaluation 
Schizoid
social detachment and
restricted emotional expression
Borderline
unstable relationships, self-
image, affects, and impulsivity
Dependent
submissive behaviour, need to
be taken care of 
Schizotypal
social discomfort, cognitive
distortions, behavioural
eccentricities
Histrionic
excessive emotionality and
attention seeking 
Obsessive-compulsive
preoccupation with orderliness,
perfectionism, and control
Narcissistic
grandiosity, need for admiration,
lack of empathy

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maladaptive and cause significant functional
impairment or subjective distress.’ Recent
editions of the DSM classify the traditional
mental disorders (clinical syndromes) on Axis I
and personality disorder on Axis II. 
DSM-IV gives a general definition of
personality disorder as enduring patterns of
cognition, affectivity, interpersonal behaviour,
and impulse control that are culturally deviant,
pervasive and inflexible, and lead to distress or
social impairment. Ten patterns or categories of
personality disorder are identified and grouped
into three clusters as illustrated in Figure 1.1.
Each category is operationally defined by
between seven and nine specific criteria, a set
number being required for diagnosis of the
disorder. These are categories of disorder, not
types of people, and individuals may meet
criteria for more than one disorder.