Various Personality Disorders #2

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• find it very difficult to trust other people, believing they will use them, or take advantage of them
• find it hard to confide in people, even their friends
• watch others closely, looking for signs of betrayal or hostility
• suspect that their partner is being unfaithful, with no evidence
• read threats and danger – which others don’t see – into everyday situations

Schizoid personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• be uninterested in forming close relationships with other people including their family
• feel that relationships interfere with their freedom and tend to cause problems
• prefer to be alone with their own thoughts
• choose to live their life without interference from others
• get little pleasure from life
• have little interest in sex or intimacy
• be emotionally cold towards others

Schizotypal personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• find making close relationships extremely difficult
• think and express themselves in ways that others find ‘odd’, using unusual words or phrases
• behave in ways that others find eccentric
• believe that they can read minds or that they have special powers such as a ‘sixth sense’
• feel anxious and tense with others who do not share these beliefs
• feel very anxious and paranoid in social situations

Antisocial personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• act impulsively and recklessly, often without considering the consequences for themselves or for other people
• behave dangerously and sometimes illegally
• behave in ways that are unpleasant for others
• do things – even though they may hurt people – to get what they want, putting their needs above theirs
• feel no sense of guilt if they have mistreated others
• be irritable and aggressive and get into fights easily

Histrionic personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• feel very uncomfortable if they are not the centre of attention
• feel much more at ease as the ‘life and soul of the party’
• feel that they have to entertain people
• flirt or behave provocatively to ensure that they remain the centre of attention
• get a reputation for being dramatic and overemotional
• feel dependent on the approval of others
• be easily influenced by others

Avoidant (or anxious) personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• avoid work or social activities that mean they must be with others
• expect disapproval and criticism and be very sensitive to it
• worry constantly about being ‘found out’ and rejected
• worry about being ridiculed or shamed by others
• avoid relationships, friendships and intimacy because they fear rejection
• feel lonely and isolated, and inferior to others
• be reluctant to try new activities in case they embarrass themselves

Dependent personality disorder

Ones who suffer are likely to:

• feel needy, weak and unable to make decisions or function properly without help or support
• allow others to assume responsibility for many areas of their life
• agree to things they feel are wrong or they dislike to avoid being alone or losing someone’s support
• be afraid of being left to fend for themselves
• have low self-confidence
• see other people as being much more capable than they are
• be seen by others as much too submissive and passive