Symptoms of personality disorder in psychiatry. Personality disorders are special mental conditions

This disorder came to prominence several years ago when bipolar disorder was diagnosed. Catherine Zeta Jones on living with bipolar disorder at Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Millions of people suffer from this, and I am only one of them. I say this loudly so that people know that there is no shame in seeking professional help in such a situation.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress

Largely thanks to the courage of the black-haired Hollywood diva, other celebrities began to admit that they had experienced this psychosis: Mariah Carey Mariah Carey: My Battle with Bipolar Disorder, Mel Gibson, Ted Turner... Doctors suggest Celebrities With Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder and in those who have already died famous people: Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe...

Listing names familiar to everyone is only necessary to show that psychosis is very close to you. And perhaps even you.

What is bipolar disorder

At first glance, there's nothing wrong with it. Just mood swings. For example, in the morning you want to sing and dance with the joy of being alive. In the middle of the day, you suddenly lash out at your colleagues who are distracting you from something important. By the evening, a severe depression rolls over you, when you can’t even raise your hand... Sound familiar?

The line between mood swings and manic-depressive psychosis (this is the second name of this disease) is thin. But it is there.

The worldview of those who suffer from bipolar disorder constantly oscillates between two poles. From an extreme maximum (“What a thrill it is to just live and do something!”) to an equally extreme minimum (“Everything is bad, we’re all going to die. So, maybe there’s nothing to wait for, it’s time to commit suicide?!”). The highs are called periods of mania. Minimums - periods.

A person realizes how stormy he is and how often these storms have no reason, but he cannot do anything with himself.

Manic-depressive psychosis is exhausting, worsens relationships with others, sharply reduces the quality of life and can ultimately lead to suicide.

Where does bipolar disorder come from?

Mood swings are familiar to many and are not considered something out of the ordinary. This makes bipolar disorder quite difficult to diagnose. Nevertheless, scientists are coping with this more and more successfully. In 2005, for example, it was established Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of Twelve-month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) that about 5 million Americans suffer from manic-depressive psychosis in one form or another.

Bipolar disorder is more common in women than in men. Why is not known.

However, despite a large statistical sample, the exact causes of bipolar disorders have not yet been clarified. What is known is that:

1. Manic-depressive psychosis can occur at any age. Although it most often appears in late adolescence and early adulthood.
2. It may be caused by genetics. If one of your ancestors suffered from this disease, there is a risk that it will come knocking on your door.
3. The disorder is associated with an imbalance chemical substances in the brain. Mainly - .
4. The trigger is sometimes severe stress or trauma.

How to Recognize Early Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

To detect unhealthy mood swings, you first need to find out whether you are experiencing emotional extremes - mania and depression.

7 Key Signs of Mania

1. You experience elation and a feeling of happiness for long periods (several hours or more).
2. Your need for sleep is reduced.
3. You speak quickly. And so much so that those around you do not always understand, and you do not have time to formulate your thoughts. As a result, it is easier for you to communicate in instant messengers or via emails than to talk to people in person.
4. You are an impulsive person: you act first, think later.
5. You easily jump from one thing to another. As a result, bottom line productivity often suffers.
6. You are confident in your abilities. It seems to you that you are faster and smarter than most of those around you.
7. You often exhibit risky behavior. For example, you agree to have sex with a stranger, buy something you can’t afford, or take part in spontaneous street races at traffic lights.

7 Key Signs of Depression

1. You often experience prolonged (several hours or more) periods of unmotivated sadness and hopelessness.
2. You become isolated in yourself. You find it difficult to come out of your shell. Therefore, you limit contact even with family and friends.
3. You have lost interest in those things that used to really captivate you, and have not gained anything new in return.
4. Your appetite has changed: it has sharply decreased or, on the contrary, you no longer control how much and what exactly you eat.
5. You regularly feel tired and lack energy. And such periods continue for quite a long time.
6. You have problems with memory, concentration and decision making.
7. Do you sometimes think about . Catch yourself thinking that life has lost its taste for you.

Manic-depressive psychosis is when you recognize yourself in almost all the situations described above. At some point in your life you clearly show signs of mania, at another - symptoms of depression.

However, sometimes it happens that the symptoms of mania and depression manifest themselves simultaneously and you cannot understand which phase you are in. This condition is called mixed mood and is also one of the signs of bipolar disorder.

What is bipolar disorder?

Depending on which episodes occur more often (manic or depressive) and how severe they are, bipolar disorder is divided into several types. Types of Bipolar Disorder.

1. Type 1 disorder. It is severe, alternating periods of mania and depression are strong and deep.
2. Disorder of the second type. Mania does not manifest itself very clearly, but it covers with depression just as globally as in the case of the first type. By the way, Catherine Zeta-Jones was diagnosed with exactly this. In the case of the actress, the trigger for the development of the disease was throat cancer, which her husband, Michael Douglas, had been battling for a long time.

Regardless of what type of manic-depressive psychosis we are talking about, the disease in any case requires treatment. And preferably faster.

What to do if you suspect you have bipolar disorder

Don't ignore your feelings. If you are familiar with 10 or more of the signs listed above, this is already a reason to consult a doctor. Especially if from time to time you catch yourself feeling suicidal.

First, go see a therapist. The medic will suggest Diagnosis Guide for Bipolar Disorder you need to do several studies, including urine and blood tests for hormone levels thyroid gland. Often, hormonal problems (in particular, developing, hypo- and hyperthyroidism) are similar to bipolar disorder. It is important to exclude them. Or treat if they are found.

The next step will be a visit to a psychologist or psychiatrist. You will have to answer questions about your lifestyle, mood swings, relationships with other people, childhood memories, traumas, and family history of illnesses and drug use incidents.

Based on the information received, the specialist will prescribe treatment. This could be either taking medications or taking medications.

Let’s finish with the same phrase from Catherine Zeta-Jones: “There is no need to endure. Bipolar disorder can be controlled. And it's not as difficult as it seems."

A personality disorder is a mental disorder that can manifest itself as early as childhood and adolescence. It is characterized by the suppression of some personality traits and the vivid manifestation of others. In particular, schizoid personality disorder is a reluctance to make friends, a lack of warm emotional contacts, but at the same time, excessive passion for non-standard hobbies. For example, such patients can build their own theories about leading a healthy lifestyle. In general, personality disorders have many forms and types.

You may often hear people who are overly emotional or eccentric called psychopaths. Rarely does anyone think about the true meaning of this term. Psychopathy is a serious disorder, determined by the excessive expression of one of the personality traits with the underdevelopment of others. In Western classification, we use the term “personality disorder” rather than “psychopathy.” And this diagnosis includes many disorders that are unlike itself.

Personality disorders are a complex of deeply rooted rigid and maladaptive personality traits that cause specific perceptions and attitudes toward oneself and others, decreased social adjustment, and, as a rule, emotional discomfort and subjective distress.

The reasons why they arise most often lie in adolescence or even in childhood, and each type of personality disorder has its own characteristic age of formation. From the beginning of their emergence, these maladaptive personality traits are no longer defined in time and permeate the entire period of adult life. Their manifestations are not limited to any aspect of functioning, but affect all areas of the personality - emotional-volitional, thinking, style of interpersonal behavior.

Main symptoms of personality disorder:

• The totality of pathological character traits that manifest themselves in any environment (at home, at work);
• Stability of pathological traits that are identified in childhood and persist until adulthood;
• Social maladjustment, which is a consequence of pathological character traits and is not caused by unfavorable environmental conditions.

Personality disorders occur in 6-9% of the population. Their origin is in most cases ambiguous. The following reasons may play a role in their development:

• pathological heredity (primarily alcoholism, mental illness, personality disorders in parents),
• various kinds of exogenous-organic influences (traumatic brain injuries and other minor brain damage under the age of 3-4 years, as well as pre- and perinatal disorders),
• social factors(unfavorable conditions of upbringing in childhood as a result of the loss of parents or upbringing in an incomplete family, with parents who do not pay attention to children, alcoholics, antisocial individuals, who have incorrect pedagogical attitudes).

In addition, the following features of neurophysiological and neurobiochemical functioning are often noted:

• the presence of bipolar symmetric theta waves on the EEG, indicating a delay in brain maturation;
• in patients with a high level of impulsivity, an increase in the level of some sex hormones (testosterone, 17-estradiol, estrone) is detected;
• With general decline the level of social activity of patients correlates increased level monoamine oxidases.

There are many classifications of personality disorders. One of the main ones is the cognitive classification of personality disorders (the other is psychoanalytic), which distinguishes 9 cognitive profiles and corresponding disorders. Let's look at the most typical ones.

Paranoid personality disorder

A person suffering from this disorder is characterized by a tendency to attribute evil intentions to others and a tendency to form overvalued ideas, the most important of which is the thought of the special significance of one’s own personality. The patient himself rarely seeks help, and if he is referred by relatives, then when talking with a doctor he denies the manifestation of personality disorders.

Such people are overly sensitive to criticism and are constantly dissatisfied with someone. Suspicion and a general tendency to distort facts by misinterpreting neutral or friendly actions of others as hostile, often lead to unfounded thoughts of conspiracies that subjectively explain events in the social environment.

Schizoid personality disorder

Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by isolation, unsociability, inability to have warm emotional relationships with others, decreased interest in sexual communication, a tendency to autistic fantasies, introverted attitudes, difficulty in understanding and assimilating generally accepted norms of behavior, which manifests itself in eccentric actions. People suffering from schizoid personality disorder usually live by their own unusual interests and hobbies, in which they can achieve great success.

They are often characterized by a passion for various philosophies, ideas for improving life, schemes for building a healthy lifestyle through unusual diets or sports activities, especially if this does not require direct dealing with other people. Schizoids may have a fairly high risk of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol in order to gain pleasure or improve contacts with other people.

Dissocial personality disorder

Dissocial personality disorder is characterized by a noticeable, gross discrepancy between behavior and prevailing social norms. Patients can have a specific superficial charm and make an impression (usually on doctors of the opposite sex).

The main feature is the desire to continuously have fun, avoiding work as much as possible. Starting from childhood, their life is a rich history of antisocial behavior: deceit, truancy, running away from home, involvement in criminal groups, fights, alcoholism, drug addiction, theft, manipulating others in their own interests. Antisocial behavior peaks in late adolescence (16–18 years).

Histrionic personality disorder

Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by excessive emotionality and a desire to attract attention, which manifest themselves in various life situations. The prevalence of histrionic personality disorder in the population is 2-3% with a predominance in women. It is often combined with somatization disorder and alcoholism.

Let us list the main features characteristic of of this disorder: seeking the attention of others towards oneself, inconstancy in affections, capriciousness, an irresistible desire to always be the center of attention, to arouse sympathy or surprise (no matter for what reason). The latter can be achieved not only by extravagant appearance, boasting, deceit, fantasy, but also by the presence of “mysterious diseases”, which can be accompanied by pronounced vegetative paroxysms (spasms, a feeling of suffocation during excitement, nausea, aphonia, numbness of the limbs and other sensitivity disorders) . The most intolerable thing for patients is indifference on the part of others; in this case, even the role of a “negative hero” is preferred.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are characterized by a preoccupation with order, a desire for perfection, control over mental activity and interpersonal relationships, to the detriment of their own flexibility and productivity. All this significantly narrows their adaptive capabilities to the surrounding world. Patients are deprived of one of the most important mechanisms for adapting to the world around them - a sense of humor. Always serious, they are intolerant of anything that threatens order and perfection.

Constant doubts in making decisions, caused by the fear of making a mistake, poison their joy from work, but the same fear prevents them from changing their place of activity. In adulthood, when it becomes obvious that the professional success they have achieved does not correspond to their initial expectations and efforts, the risk of developing depressive episodes and somatoform disorders is increased.

Anxious (avoidant) personality disorder

An anxious (avoidant, avoidant) personality disorder is characterized by limited social contacts, a feeling of inferiority and increased sensitivity to negative assessments. Already in early childhood, these patients are characterized as excessively timid and shy; they distortly perceive attitudes towards themselves, exaggerating its negativity, as well as the risk and danger of everyday life. They find it difficult to speak in public or simply address someone. Loss of social support can lead to anxiety-depressive and dysphoric symptoms.

Narcissistic personality disorder

Most clearly manifested in people with adolescence ideas about one’s own greatness, the need for admiration from others and the impossibility of experiencing. A person does not admit that he can become the object of criticism - he either indifferently denies it or becomes furious. It is necessary to emphasize the features that occupy a special place in mental life a person with narcissistic personality disorder: an unreasonable idea of ​​one’s right to a privileged position, automatic satisfaction of desires; the tendency to exploit, to use others to achieve one’s own goals; envy of others or the belief in an envious attitude towards oneself.

Methods for treating personality disorders

Therapy for disorders associated with characterological deviations is purely individual. When choosing therapeutic effects, as a rule, not only diagnostic and typological characteristics, but also the structure of the personality disorder, the possibility of introspection and subjective mediation of psychopathology, characteristics of behavior and reactions (aggressive and auto-aggressive tendencies), the presence of comorbid personal and mental pathology, readiness for cooperation and a fairly long therapeutic alliance with the doctor (which is especially important for avoidant personalities, craving recognition and dissocial).

Numerous studies indicate the effectiveness of psychotherapy for personality disorders, as well as social, environmental and pedagogical influences that harmonize behavior and contribute to the achievement of stable adaptation. Psychopharmacological agents as a method of correcting personality disorders are a relatively new concept. Psychopharmacotherapy in in this case does not pursue the goal of complete relief of symptoms that form within the framework of the dynamics of personality disorders; its tasks are limited to the correction of pathocharacterological manifestations that hypertrophy to the level of psychopathological formations. Accordingly, personality disorder treatment is carried out in outpatient setting, has a supportive nature.
For example, SSRI is used for depressive disorders and agitation, use anticonvulsants helps reduce agitation and manifestations of anger. In particular, a drug such as Risperidone can be prescribed to patients with depression, as well as to those who have the initial stage of a personality disorder.

In psychotherapy in the treatment of various personality disorders, the main goal is to relieve stress and isolate the patient from the source. stressful situations. This subsequently reduces other manifestations of symptoms - anxiety, suspicion, outbursts of anger and depression decrease. However, the most difficult task for a specialist in such disorders is establishing a trusting relationship between the patient and the doctor. It is successful interaction that can bring results, since the treatment of personality disorders is a long process.
Timely and correctly selected psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment improves the quality of life of a person with such a difficult fate and “leaves no room for therapeutic pessimism.”

Personality disorder in men

It is impossible to say unequivocally that men are characterized by one or another type of disorder: in practice, men have the most different kinds personality disorders. In particular, these are often paranoid and schizoid personality disorders, classified as category A, and borderline and antisocial disorders are also common.

At paranoid type The following symptoms appear:

• lack of normal relationships with other people;
• constant suspicions regarding loved ones and relatives;
• envy;
• emotional coldness;
• isolation and excessive seriousness.

Schizoid personality disorder is manifested by the following symptoms:

• indifference to others;
• unsociability;
• avoiding noisy parties and events;
• lack of social contacts;
• emotional coldness;
• callousness.

Borderline personality disorder manifests itself:

• impulsiveness;
• frequent depression;
• a tendency to self-destructive behavior - for example, such patients are able to threaten hunger strike, suicide or other harm in order to achieve what they want;
• lack of healthy criticism, ability to idealize significant person;
• eccentric behavior.

Antisocial personality disorder manifests itself:

• indifference;
• irresponsibility;
• deceitfulness;
• neglect of the safety of loved ones;
• aggression;
• hot temper;
• inability to behave within the framework of established cultural and social norms.

It should be noted that this type of disorder is typical for criminals; people with this disorder often end up behind bars. They absolutely cannot understand why follow the rules and moral principles and often commit crimes, neglecting their future and the safety of loved ones.

We emphasize that any type of personality disorder requires long-term therapy. Typically this is a combination drug treatment and psychotherapy. In some cases, occupational therapy or other supportive psychotherapeutic techniques may be recommended. This is very serious disease It may take months to see progress in treatment.

Personality disorder in women

For women, the most common types are hysterical and narcissistic personality disorder. In the first case, the following symptoms will appear:

• inappropriate behavior;
• sexual disorders;
• the need to be the center of attention;
• theatrical speech;
• excessive dramatization of situations;
• idealization of relationships;
• tendency to attribute serious intentions to casual acquaintances;
• impulsiveness;
• eccentric behavior, strong emotions.

Symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder include:

• envy;
• the tendency to consider oneself the center of the universe;
• dreams of power;
• using other people for your own benefit;
• the need for special treatment;
• the desire to win praise and recognition from others.

Personality disorder in women is treated in the same way as in men - usually a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. All drugs and methods are selected individually by a psychiatrist. Note that, as in the case of male patients, it is required long-term treatment, for several months.

Personality disorder in children

Anxious and dependent personality disorders are common in children. This is due to the negative environment at home, at school or other surroundings of the child, violence, and moral humiliation.

With anxiety disorder in children, the following are observed:

• low self-esteem;
• clumsiness;
• frequent anxiety;
• exaggeration of problems;
• isolation;
• inability to build social contacts.

With dependent personality disorder, a child will exhibit the following symptoms:

• the role of the victim in any situation;
• passivity;
• avoidance of responsibility;
• low school performance;
• sensitivity to any criticism;
• tearfulness;
• isolation;
• loneliness;
• strong self-doubt.

Treatment in the case of personality disorder in children is selected with great care - this includes gentle pharmacotherapy, long-term work with a psychologist, constant supervision by a psychiatrist, as well as additional psychotherapeutic techniques (hippotherapy, sports therapy, snoezelen therapy and others).

General methods for preventing various personality disorders

There is no established standard for the prevention of personality disorders, since each person is individual. However, there are general recommendations from psychiatrists. First of all, avoid the negative influence of stressful situations. If a person does not control his emotions and reactions, you can consult a psychologist and receive psychological tools for adequately responding to stress and resolving conflicts.

At the same time, there are prerequisites for the development of a personality disorder; as a rule, they are associated with a person’s psychotype formed in childhood and adolescence, as well as with traumatic situations suffered. In this case, it is necessary to be observed by a psychiatrist and psychotherapist for a supportive course of psychotherapy.

A personality disorder is a long-term and persistent disturbance of various aspects of mental activity. This behavior lacks productive psychosomatics, so the person himself or those around him suffer from these manifestations. These disorders often begin in childhood or adolescence and last throughout life.. The disorder of the personality itself and its behavior is caused by persistent disturbances in thoughts, emotions and actions. Each person has his own mental characteristics, and when someone’s behavior stands out against the general background, it provokes irritation in other people. Certain problems arise that affect the life of the person with disabilities and those around him. If such a condition significantly affects daily life person, it is advisable to talk about the need qualified assistance psychologist or psychiatrist.

Despite their appearance, mental disorders disrupt a person’s adequate psycho-emotional perception of the world around them and the patient’s ability to adapt socially. Medication-assisted therapy does not change personality traits, but seeing a therapist can be a big help in identifying your problems and changing your behavior.

Mechanism of occurrence of violations

What is a personality disorder? They can be defined as a type of mental disorder that is classified as clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. It is defined as persistent violations that manifest themselves in a person’s actions, emotions and thoughts. In order for such a diagnosis to be made, it is first necessary to exclude organic brain lesions that can provoke similar abnormalities.

Such disorders most often appear in childhood or adolescence. The severity of deviations in behavior and external environment affect the ability to adapt to such a diagnosis. Under positive circumstances, adaptation occurs, in unfavorable cases, disadaptation occurs. Factors that provoke decompensation are:

• somatic disease;
• infectious diseases;
• intoxication of the body;

What are the causes of the disease and what influences its development? The onset and progression of psychopathy is strongly influenced by age. The most dangerous age in terms of maladjustment is adolescence and primary school age.

Mental disorders in a person cause an inadequate perception of the world around them, abnormal problem solving and attitude towards people. Such people find it difficult to build constructive relationships with their family members. People with disorders tend not to see their inappropriate behavior and attitude towards the world around them. Therefore, they very rarely turn to a specialist on their own initiative.

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Symptoms of disorders and causes of their occurrence

Such people are not satisfied with their lives, they may suffer from substance abuse, disturbances in emotional perception and mood; Eating behavior is disrupted and excessive anxiety occurs.

The main factors that can provoke the occurrence of such a disorder are violence in childhood (infantile personality disorder), neglect of the child in the family, sexual corruption and bullying, raising a child in conditions of alcoholism, complete indifference to his feelings and behavior.

The Manual of Mental Disorders provides its own criteria for assessing behavior and is fundamental in determining a diagnosis such as personality disorder. Each person has his own personality traits that are closely related to other people and events. Some people tend to difficult situations ask for help, while others solve their problems on their own. Some people are condescending when faced with problems, while others tend to exaggerate even small problems.

Regardless of what a person's response style is, a mentally healthy person will try an alternative approach to solving a problem if the first reaction does not give a positive result.

People with mental and psychological disorders are rigid; they are not inclined to respond adequately to problems and difficulties that arise. They do not know how to properly build relationships with loved ones, friends, and colleagues. Such violations vary in severity.

Since such individuals do not realize that their thoughts and behavior are unacceptable in society, for this reason they rarely turn to specialists. More often, such people present with problems such as chronic tension, which arises due to disorders, alarming symptoms or depression. They believe that their problems are caused by other people or circumstances beyond their control. To date, the effectiveness of treating such disorders with the help of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis has been proven.

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Consequences of violations

Disturbances in the development of personality and behavior can cause complications such as:

• high risk of alcohol and drug addiction, inappropriate sexual behavior, and manifestations of suicidal tendencies;
• the development of mental disorders in the children of a sick person due to his inadequate upbringing, which is expressed in emotional breakdowns, irresponsible and offensive type of upbringing;
• mental and emotional breakdowns due to frequent stress;
• the appearance of other mental disorders, such as psychosis or anxiety;
• the refusal of a sick person to be responsible for his behavior, as a result of which distrust of everyone around him develops.

The incidence of the disorder is approximately 9% of the population worldwide.

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Types of disorders

All types of personality disorders are divided into the following main categories:

1. Category A: paranoid, schizotypal and schizoid disorders.
2. Group B: borderline, hysterical or histrionic, antisocial, narcissistic disorders.
3. Category C: obsessive-compulsive, avoidant, dependent disorders.

All types of personality disorders differ in their intensity and reasons for their occurrence. As for the classification of personality disorders, it is conditional, since there are often mixed types of disorders that include signs different types disorders.

The paranoid type of disorder causes various manifestations. A sick person experiences suspicions that have no basis in reality. Such people believe that they are being used, deceived, and harmed. They are overly unkind to the people around them, do not know how to show compassion and forgiveness, and may express unfounded suspicions that their significant other is cheating on them. Such individuals are convinced that they are right in any situation; they may be deprived of emotions and warmth towards loved ones. They are influenced only by strength and authority; in opposite cases, they despise those who are weak, sick or inferior to them.

As the disease progresses, the degree of complexity and intensity of symptoms develop. If such a person feels offended, he can write complaints to government authorities, in which he points out any views or actions that the enemy, as it seems to them, is showing deliberately and with obvious hostility towards them. Such a person may send anonymous threatening letters. The number of people who persecute them is growing; this may include everyone who did not understand them in time and did not take due part in their fate. In such cases, a person may develop overvalued delusions and delusions of jealousy. Individuals with delusions are socially dangerous, so they may have the ability to act aggressively towards their imaginary enemies or towards a spouse who is considered a traitor.

The passive-aggressive type of disorder is expressed in irritability, envy, anger, and threats to commit suicide (which they actually do not intend to commit). The condition is aggravated by a prolonged depressive state, which can occur against the background of alcohol addiction and various somatic disorders.

The narcissistic type is expressed in a strong exaggeration of one’s abilities and merits, attribution of non-existent talents and heroic deeds. Such individuals love to be praised and admired; successful people make them jealous.

The dependent type of disorder manifests itself in low self-esteem, self-doubt, and avoidance of responsibility. The main problem of such individuals is the aversion to loneliness. They can endure humiliation and insults.

The anxious type is expressed in fear of various manifestations in the surrounding world. Such individuals experience fear of public speaking, they experience a lot of anxiety, they are very susceptible to criticism, and they need constant support and approval from society.

The anancast type manifests itself in excessive shyness, impressionability, and lack of self-confidence. This syndrome raises doubts, the patient avoids responsibility, and may have obsessive thoughts.

With the histrionic type, signs such as the need for constant attention arise; people are impulsive and prone to sudden changes already volatile mood. They try to stand out from the crowd, have a tendency to often lie and fantasize about themselves in order to achieve their own importance, and often lead a double life: they behave friendly in society, but they show real tyranny to their family.

Emotionally unstable disorder is expressed in great excitability, violent reactions and dissatisfaction. Angry manifestations in such people can be accompanied by open violence if they are resisted. Prone to sudden mood swings and impulsive actions.

The dissocial type causes the possibility of impulsive actions, denial of generally accepted moral norms, and failure to accept one’s own responsibilities. Such individuals, unfortunately, are not inclined to commit actions; they regularly deceive, openly manipulate other people, take advantage of their favor, and at the same time they do not experience anxiety or depression.

In the schizoid type, personality and behavior disorder is expressed in the sick person’s desire for loneliness. Such people avoid relationships and contact with people, are indifferent to praise or criticism, and animals often become their only friends. The surrounding society fences itself off from the patient if a person has such a disease.

Content

Personality traits Human characteristics become evident after late adolescence and either remain unchanged throughout life or change slightly or fade with age. The diagnosis of personality disorder (ICD-10 code) is several types of mental pathologies. This disease affects all areas of a person’s life, the symptoms of which lead to severe distress and disruption of the normal functioning of all systems and organs.

What is a personality disorder

Pathology is characterized by a person’s behavioral tendency, which differs significantly from the accepted cultural norms in society. A patient suffering from this mental illness experiences social disintegration and severe discomfort when communicating with other people. As practice shows, specific signs Personality disorders arise in adolescence, so put accurate diagnosis possible only at 15-16 years old. Before this, mental disorders are associated with physiological changes in the human body.

Causes

Mental personality disorders arise for various reasons - from genetic predispositions and birth trauma to violence suffered in different life situations. Often the disease occurs against the background of parental neglect of a child, intimate abuse, or the child living in a family of alcoholics. Scientific research shows that men are more susceptible to pathology than women. Risk factors that provoke the disease:

• suicidal tendencies;
• alcohol or drug addiction;
• depressive states;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder;
• schizophrenia.

Symptoms

People who have a personality disorder are characterized by an antisocial or inappropriate attitude towards all problems. This provokes difficulties in relationships with other people. Patients do not notice their inadequacy in behavioral patterns and thoughts, so they very rarely seek help from professionals on their own. Most individuals with personality pathologies are dissatisfied with their lives, suffer from constant increased anxiety, bad mood, violations eating behavior. The main symptoms of the disease include:

• periods of loss of reality
• difficulty in relationships with marriage partners, children and/or parents;
• feeling of devastation;
• avoidance of social contacts
• inability to cope with negative emotions;
• the presence of feelings such as uselessness, anxiety, resentment, anger.

Classification

To make a diagnosis of a personal disorder according to one of the ICD-10, the pathology must satisfy three or more of the following criteria:

• the disorder is accompanied by deterioration in professional productivity;
• mental states lead to personal distress;
• abnormal behavior is pervasive;
• the chronic nature of stress is not limited to episodes;
• noticeable disharmony in behavior and personal positions.

The disease is also classified according to DSM-IV and DSM-5, which group the entire disorder into 3 clusters:

1. Cluster A (eccentric or unusual disorders). They are divided into schizotypal (301.22), schizoid (301.20), paranoid (301.0).
2. Cluster B (fluctuating, emotional or theatrical disorders). They are divided into antisocial (301.7), narcissistic (301.81), hysterical (201.50), borderline (301.83), unspecified (60.9), disinhibited (60.5).
3. Cluster C (panic and anxiety disorders). They are dependent (301.6), obsessive-compulsive (301.4), avoidant (301.82).

In Russia, before the adoption of the ICD classification, there was its own orientation of personality psychopathies according to P. B. Gannushkin. The system of a famous Russian psychiatrist, developed by a doctor at the beginning of the 20th century, was used. The classification includes several types of pathologies:

• unstable (weak-willed);
• affective;
• hysterical;
• excitable;
• paranoid;
• schizoid;
• psychasthenic;
• asthenic.

Types of Personality Disorders

The prevalence of the disease reaches up to 23% of all mental disorders of the human population. Personality pathology has several types, which differ in the causes and symptoms of the disease, the method of intensity and classification. Different shapes disorders require treatment individual approach, therefore, the diagnosis should be treated with special care to avoid dangerous consequences.

Transitional

This personality disorder is a partial disorder that occurs after severe stress or moral shock. Pathology does not lead to chronic manifestation illness and is not a serious mental illness. Transistor disorder can last from 1 month to 1 day. Prolonged stress is provoked by the following life situations:

• regular overstrain due to conflicts at work, nervous conditions in the family;
• tedious journey;
• going through divorce proceedings;
• forced separation from loved ones;
• being in prison;
• domestic violence.

Associative

Characterized by the rapid flow of associative processes. The patient's thoughts change so quickly to each other that he does not have time to pronounce them. Associative disorder manifests itself in the fact that the patient's thinking becomes superficial. The patient is prone to switching attention every second, so it is very difficult to grasp the meaning of his speech. The pathological picture of the disease also manifests itself in a slowdown in thinking, when it is very difficult for the patient to switch to another topic and it is impossible to highlight the main idea.

Cognitive

This is a violation in the cognitive sphere of life. Psychiatry points to such an important symptom of cognitive personality disorder as a decrease in the quality of brain performance. With the help of the central department nervous system a person comprehends, interconnects and interacts with the world around him. The causes of cognitive impairment can be many pathologies, differing in the condition and mechanism of occurrence. Among them are a decrease in brain mass or organ atrophy, circulatory failure and others. Main symptoms of the disease:

• memory impairment;
• difficulty expressing thoughts;
• deterioration in concentration;
• difficulty in counting.

Destructive

Translated from Latin, the word “destructiveness” means destruction of structure. The psychological term disruptive disorder refers to negative attitude individual to external and internal objects. The personality blocks the release of fruitful energy due to failures in self-realization, remaining unhappy even after achieving the goal. Examples destructive behavior metapsychopath:

• destruction natural environment(ecocide, environmental terrorism);
• damage to works of art, monuments, valuable items (vandalism);
• undermining public relations, society (terrorist attacks, military actions);
• purposeful decomposition of another person’s personality;
• destruction (murder) of another person.

Mixed

This type of personality disorder is the least studied by scientists. The patient exhibits one or the other type psychological disorders, not of a persistent nature. For this reason, mixed personality disorder is also called mosaic psychopathy. The patient's instability of character appears due to the development of certain types of addiction: gambling, drug addiction, alcoholism. Psychopathic personalities often combines paranoid and schizoid symptoms. Patients suffer from increased suspicion and are prone to threats, scandals, and complaints.

Infantile

Unlike other types of psychopathy, infantile disorder is characterized by social immaturity. A person cannot resist stress and does not know how to relieve tension. IN difficult situations the individual does not control emotions and behaves like a child. Infantile disorders first appear in adolescence, progressing as they grow older. Even with age, the patient does not learn to control fear, aggression, and anxiety, so they are denied group work and are not accepted into military service or the police.

Histrionic

Dissocial behavior in histrionic disorder manifests itself in the search for attention and increased excessive emotionality. Patients constantly demand from those around them confirmation of the correctness of their qualities, actions, and approval. This manifests itself in louder conversation, louder laughter, and inadequate reaction in order to concentrate the attention of others on oneself at any cost. Men and women with histrionic personality disorder display inappropriately sexual clothing and eccentric passive-aggressive behavior, which is a challenge to society.

Psychoneurotic

The difference between psychoneurosis is that the patient does not lose contact with reality, being fully aware of his problem. Psychiatrists distinguish three types of psychoneurotic disorders: phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and conversion hysteria. Psychoneurosis can be provoked by great mental or physical exercise. First-graders often face such stress. In adults, psychoneurological shocks are caused by the following life situations:

• marriage or divorce;
• job change or dismissal;
• death of a loved one;
• career failures;
• lack of money and others.

Diagnosis of personality disorder

The main criteria for the differential diagnosis of a personality disorder are poor subjective well-being, loss of social adaptation and performance, disturbances in other areas of life. To make a correct diagnosis, it is important for the doctor to determine the stability of the pathology, take into account the cultural characteristics of the patient, and compare it with other types of mental disorders. Basic diagnostic tools:

• checklists;
• self-esteem questionnaires;
• structured and standardized patient interviews.

Treatment for Personality Disorder

Depending on the attribution, comorbidity and severity of the disease, treatment is prescribed. Drug therapy includes taking serotonin antidepressants (Paroxetine), atypical antipsychotics (Olanzapine) and lithium salts. Psychotherapy is carried out in attempts to change behavior, make up for educational gaps, and search for motivation.

Video: Personality Disorders

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

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Types of mental personality disorders - signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Very often, inappropriate or strange behavior of a person is not the result of a bad character or bad mood, but of a personality disorder. What it is?

What is a personality disorder?

A personality disorder is a type of mental disorder characterized by behaviors, thoughts, and ideas that deviate from generally accepted cultural norms. The pathology usually affects several key areas of life and provokes social disintegration. Translated from ancient Greek, the term sounds like “suffering of the soul” or “mental illness.”

According to various sources, about 12% of the world's population suffers from personality disorders. The diagnosis of personality disorder is usually made after a person reaches eighteen years of age, since earlier attempts to identify the pathology may give a distorted result. Although in adolescents there is already a fairly clear increase in certain character traits, which can sometimes be used to predict the progression mental disorder further.

An increased risk of the disorder is observed in a dysfunctional family environment. Also Negative influence has a bad heredity (if there are cases of mental problems in the family).

Personality disorder: symptoms of pathology

According to ICD-10, personality disorders can only include conditions that are not due to brain diseases and are not provoked by other mental pathologies. At least three of the following symptoms must appear:

1. A noticeable imbalance in behavior and personal positions, affecting several areas of an individual’s active existence, namely the processes of thinking and perception, attitude towards others, the ability to control one’s impulses, etc.
2. The stability of the signs, their chronic nature, i.e. the symptoms of the disorder arose a long time ago, persist over time and are not limited to episodes of mental illness.
3. The patient's inability to adapt to the vast majority of life situations.
4. The onset of the disorder during late childhood or adolescence and subsequent persistence of symptoms.
5. A clear decrease in productivity both in the area social interactions, and in the professional sphere.
6. Serious personal distress, which often becomes noticeable later for a long time after the onset of a personality disorder.

Another classifier (DSM-IV) defines a personality disorder as a condition in which individual characteristics a person is not allowed to adjust and adapt to standard situations, which leads to a serious deterioration in the quality of life. Guided by this approach, the following symptoms of the disorder are identified:

• inconsistency of behavior and internal experience with the cultural requirements of society, which affects at least two of these areas - cognitive, affective, responsible for internal control or the ability to restrain impulsiveness;
• inflexibility of behavior patterns and their spread to a wide range of situations;
• pronounced distress and obvious problems in important areas of life (social, personal, professional, etc.);
• patterns of behavior are well-established and stable over time;
• the symptoms are not associated with any other mental disorder;
• pathological patterns are not associated with exposure to certain substances in the human body and are not provoked by head injuries.

Different types of personality disorders may be accompanied by different symptoms. But in all cases the following are observed: chronic course, impact on life activity in general and serious obstacles to adaptation in society.

Personality disorder: types of pathology

It is believed that several personality disorders can “fit” into one patient at once. The one that is most pronounced is usually diagnosed. Main types of personality disorder:

Key "theme"	Type of disorder	Peculiarities
Strangeness and eccentric behavior	Paranoid	suspicion, distrust of others constant attempts to discover hidden meaning in actions, words, facial expressions of people desire to break established social contacts attacks of anger caused by confidence in the dishonesty of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances
	Schizoid	unsociability, reluctance to establish close connections with people weak or undeveloped emotionality focus on one's own inner world and fantasies
	Schizotypal	difficulties in establishing social contacts groundless anxiety habit of talking to yourself ignoring others confidence in one's ability to see the future or recognize other people's thoughts
Dramatic, emotional and unstable behavior	Antisocial	absolute disregard for safety - both personal and others tendency to lie and deceive impulsiveness, aggressiveness, increased irritability frequent participation in verbal conflicts and fights, problems with the law indifference to others non-compliance with accepted social norms
	Border	severe depressive episodes high level of irritability and anxiety impulsive behavior suicide attempts self-destruction through alcohol abuse, overeating, drug use, etc. low self-esteem, which does not allow establishing stable relationships with people
	Hysterical	obsessive need to always be the center of attention shockingness, theatricality, provocative behavior and speech subordination to the influence of others overestimation of the degree of closeness of relationships (a casual acquaintance seems like a best friend)
	Narcissistic	belief in one's own uniqueness obsessive thoughts and dreams about your success, power, wealth demanding special treatment envy of more fortunate people the opinion that there are only envious people around dependence on praise, attention, recognition using others for personal gain
Behavior driven by anxiety and fear	Alarming	phobias excessive shyness increased sensitivity to criticism or negative attitudes low self-esteem, self-confidence deliberate avoidance of social contacts with a strong internal need for communication
	Dependent	self-doubt, low self-esteem passivity inability to take independent decisions, fear of responsibility fear of separation and loneliness
	Obsessive-compulsive (anankastic)	preoccupation with details tendency to doubt excessive perfectionism recurrent obsessions (obsessive thoughts) and compulsions (actions-rituals)

In some cases, the disorder belongs to the unspecified group.

Personality disorder: treatment

Because mental disorder personality is not so much a distortion as a special personality structure, then treatment is aimed exclusively at adapting a person to society, reducing the level of his fears and anxiety, “nurturing” the correct reactions to what is happening, etc. Mainly the therapy complex includes:

1. Psychotherapy. Both individual and group sessions can be conducted. Family therapy is often indicated. The patient is told about his psychological characteristics and how to adapt them to the environment. The use of cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis methods is widespread. They definitely try to work out the most likely causes of the pathology.
2. Drug therapy. Medications not very effective at personality disorders, but sometimes patients are prescribed antipsychotics.

The main difficulty in therapy is that the specialist is not always able to establish a trusting relationship with the patient, which is necessary for quality treatment. Sometimes you have to change the doctor if the patient refuses to cooperate.

A personality disorder greatly complicates life, but does not put an end to it. Almost always, the help of a good psychotherapist allows the patient to integrate into society. And although such disorders cannot be completely eliminated, they can be stopped to a sufficient extent so that a person feels comfortable in his own personality.