|
A personality disorder is a severe disturbance in the characterological
constitution and behavioural tendencies of the individual, usually involving
several areas of the personality, and nearly always associated with considerable
personal and social disruption. Personality disorder tends to appear in
late childhood or adolescence and continues to be manifest into adulthood.
It is therefore unlikely that the diagnosis of personality disorder will
be appropriate before the age of 16 or 17 years. General diagnostic guidelines
applying to all personality disorders are presented below; supplementary
descriptions are provided with each of the subtypes.
Prior to 1994, when Asperger Syndrome first appeared in the DSM-IV, people
at the high functioning end of the autistic spectrum were usually diagnosed
with a mental illness such as schizophrenia or a personality disorder.
This still happens, although less frequently now that milder forms of
autism are being recognized. Although none of these personality disorders
can be properly diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, there
are some which share characteristics of PDDs.
| Schizoid Personality
Disorder |
This is probably the personality disorder most similar
to autism. It is characterised by detatcment from social relationships
and a restricted range of emotional expression (affect) interpersonal
settings. |
|
| Obsessive Compulsive
Personality Disorder |
Different from Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder (OCD), OCPD is a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with
orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control,
at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. |
|
|
| Avoidant Personality
Disorder |
Another disorder involving primarily social withdrawl
or inhibition. In the case of the avoidant personality, the withdrawl
is due to feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative
evaluation. |
|
|
| Borderline Personality
Disorder |
Less diagnostically similar to autism, this is still
a relatively common misdiagnosis. Perhaps not even a "true"
disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder is a label given to almost
any female who engages in self-injury or has relationship problems
regardless of whether the other criteria are met. According to the
DSM-IV, it is a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal
relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity. |
Articles
Cliniweb
International
Search for articles on various personality disorders.
|
Internet Mental Health:
Each of the following includes American (DSM-IV) and European (ICD-10)
diagnostic criteria and some other information. Pages are included for
the following: Schizoid,
Avoidant,
Obsessive Compulsive,
Borderline
Sympatico:
HealthyWay: Health Links: Mental Health: Personality Disorders
Links with reviews and ratings.
Health
Center: Personality Disorders:
This page contains links to other information about personality disorders
on the site. There are individual pages for each of the personality disorders
in the DSM-IV, including the following: Schizoid,
Avoidant,
Obsessive
Compulsive, Borderline
Personality
Disorders
This site appears to auto-search any of several search engines to find
information about a specific topic. This page is for "Personality
Disorders". There are also separate pages for: Schizoid,
Avoidant,
Compulsive
(no mention of Obsessive Compulsive), Borderline
Mental Health Net -
Schizoid Personality Disorder Symptoms
General symptoms of schizoid personality disorder.
|