In the psychological field, personality can be described as an individual’s set of unique traits shaping thoughts and behaviors. Each person may have a combination of traits and behaviors that make us different from each other. However, sometimes a person may develop a certain set of traits lead to emotional distress and hinder everyday functioning in their life. When it detriments their life to a certain degree, it’s what is called that a Personality Disorder.

What is a Personality Disorder? A Personality Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by long-term patterns of cognition and behavior that deviate in a big way from societal standards. These patterns often cause serious distress or impairment in the person’s personal, social, and occupational life areas. There are different kinds of personality disorders and recognizing them help mental health professionals and affected individuals to address the issue effectively.

While a lot more study needs to be done on the subject, research so far shows that personality disorder can be caused by a mix of both genetic and environmental factors. A person’s genetic makeup might make them more likely to develop a personality disorder while a certain style of upbringing or environment can directly cause the development of the disorder.

Different Types of Personality Disorders:

DSM-V currently groups 10 different types of personality disorders into 3 clusters (A, B, and C) based on the similarity of characteristics.

Cluster A: They are often characterized by odd or eccentric behaviors. People in this category usually have difficulties in social interactions and have distorted or unrealistic thought patterns regarding other people. Cluster A is further divided into three types:

• Paranoid Personality Disorder. as the name suggests, people with this disorder have excessive distrust and suspicion of others. They struggle trusting others, they often feel attacked by others and become overly defensive even when there is no real threat to them. In more severe cases, they may in turn become hostile/violent towards others or become a recluse.
• Schizoid Personality Disorder: a disorder where a person develop a pervasive lack of interest in social relationships and a limited range of emotional expression. They prefer to isolate themselves and avoid intimate relationships. They may act detached from other people and social interactions.
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder: This disorder causes someone to have more extreme cases of unrealistic thoughts and beliefs ranging from hearing voices, seeing things, or irrational thoughts.

Cluster B: This spectrum of disorders are characterized by highly emotional expressions and dramatic behaviors. People with Cluster B disorders are often unpredictable and impulsive when it comes to their moods or emotions.

• Antisocial Personality Disorder: People with this disorder often have low empathy towards others. They may struggle appreciating other people’s feelings or respect others’ rights. They often find it difficult to feel remorse or heed caution. They also often engage in impulsive behaviors or engage in high risk activities/actions.
• Histrionic Personality Disorder: Someone with Histrionic disorder often chases after attention and excessively enjoy being in the center of the spotlight in their lives. They may either be overly expressive for the sake of being accepted or approved. On the other hand, when denied attention or approval they may become hostile or depressed, which makes people with this disorder behave inconsistently depending on what they deem necessary to achieve their goals.
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Someone with BPD often has extreme mood swings and unstable emotions and behavior. They may swing from anger to apathy, acting gentle to violent, and have unstable self-image of themselves. People with BPD usually struggle maintaining healthy relationships with friends or romantic partners.
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): This disorder causes a person to have an inflated sense of ego. They often see themselves as superior and above others. This exaggerated sense of self-importance often times lead to arrogance that impair many relationships in their lives. People with NPD often carry feelings of entitlement and delusion of grandiosity.

Cluster C: This cluster is usually marked by anxious and fearful thoughts about oneself and others, which may lead them to over

• Avoidant Personality Disorder: This disorder involves an extreme feeling of inadequacy and low self-esteem. A person with this disorder feels like they are highly critical of themselves and very sensitive to criticisms or rejections. They tend to avoid social interactions due to their low opinion of themselves.
• Dependent Personality Disorder: Contrary to Avoidant disorder, Dependent disorder causes a person with low and distorted self-image to overly depend and cling to others, feeling an overwhelming fear of being alone. They often hold an excessive need to be cared for by those around them.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCD): A person with OCD has a very inflexible concept of order and control accompanied with unhealthy level of perfectionism. People with OCD tend to seem rigid and overly strict over the way they do things which may be detrimental to relationships with people around them.

It’s important to acknowledge that the descriptions presented are simplified. In reality, understanding personality disorders is complex, and how each symptom manifest in real life can differ from one person to another. Individuals experiencing these disorders may show a variety of sings that don’t neatly align with textbook definitions. Many factors such as cultural background or family situations can also influence how they behave.

Rather than seeing Personality disorders as black-and-white, think of them more like a spectrum. Each individual’s experiences vary, and the boundaries between these disorders can blur. People with personality disorders might exhibit traits that don’t fit neatly into the pre-defined boxes. If you suspect you or someone close to you might have personality disorder, it is important to approach it carefully and respectfully.