Disorders of personality and behavior a brief description. Mixed Personality Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, Types and Treatments

Personality disorders

Personality disorders are characterized by persistent disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and actions. Many people have their own characteristics. However, sometimes someone's behavior and personality characteristics are so different from the generally accepted ones that it causes irritation. Problems arise from which both people with personality disorders and their environment suffer. If a personality disorder puts a lot of pressure on daily life, there is a need for qualified psychological help.

Personality disorders are relatively inflexible patterns of perceiving other people and responding to events that impair a person's ability to socialize.

Medications do not change personality traits, while psychotherapy can help people recognize their problems and change their behavior.
Each person has characteristic perceptual patterns (personality traits) associated with other people and events. For example, some people react to anxious situations by asking someone for help, while others prefer to deal with problems on their own. Some people underestimate the severity of the problem, while others exaggerate it. Regardless of their usual response style, mentally healthy people will try an alternative approach if their first response is ineffective.

People with a personality disorder are rigid and tend to respond inappropriately to problems, to the point of being unable to build relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues. Typically, personality disorders begin in adolescence or early adulthood and do not improve over time. Personality disorders vary in severity. Mild personality disorders are more common than severe ones.

Most people with a personality disorder are unhappy with their lives and have relationship problems at work or in social situations. Many also suffer from mood disorder, anxiety, substance abuse, or eating disorders.

People with a personality disorder are unaware that their thoughts and behaviors are inappropriate, and so they rarely seek help on their own. They may present with chronic tension created by a personality disorder, anxiety symptoms, or depression, and tend to believe that the problems are caused by other people or circumstances beyond their control.

Until recently, many psychiatrists and psychologists believed that treatment did not help people with personality disorders. Nevertheless, some types of psychotherapy, in particular psychoanalysis, have now been shown to help manage personality disorders.

According to the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Illness), there are 10 major types of personality disorders, which are grouped into three blocks (Cluster A, B, and C). Read more on types of personality disorder.

Consequences of personality disorders

People with a personality disorder are at high risk of developing addiction (alcohol or drug addiction), suicidal behavior, reckless sexual behavior, hypochondria, and opposition to society's values.
- People with a personality disorder may have inappropriate, overly emotional, abusive, or irresponsible parenting styles that lead to psychiatric disorders in children.
- People with a personality disorder are prone to mental breakdowns as a result of stress (during a crisis, a person encounters difficulties in performing the most ordinary tasks).
- People with a personality disorder may develop psychiatric comorbidities (such as anxiety, depression, or psychosis).
- People with a personality disorder often do not have enough contact with a therapist or doctor because they disclaim responsibility for their behavior, are distrustful, or feel overly needy.

Treatment of personality disorders

Medications
Medication is sometimes used to reduce anxiety, depression, and other distressing symptoms. Drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed for depression and impulsivity. Anticonvulsants reduce impulsivity and outbursts of anger. Other drugs such as risperidone Risperdal are used to combat depression and feelings of depersonalization in people with borderline personality disorders.

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In most cases, it is difficult to communicate with such people, they often like to argue over trifles and are very stubborn. A person with a personality disorder perceives reality in a distorted form, and these symptoms appear in any situation.

Such a diagnosis is not made before the age of 18. However, for a diagnosis to be made, the symptoms must have been continuously present for the preceding five years. There are several main types of personality disorders: antisocial, narcissistic, borderline, hysterical, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, dependent and avoidant. There are several other varieties, but they are beyond the scope of our discussion.

Here are 10 signs that make you suspect a personality disorder in a person:

1. He constantly has a mutual misunderstanding with others. He often hears in the words of others what they did not actually say. The narcissist feels that he is idealized, although he is far from ideal, and the person suffering from avoidant personality disorder in the words of others hears contempt and anger, which are not really there. In fact, such a person hears in the words of others the content of his own internal dialogue (uncertainty or a sense of superiority).

2. He incorrectly perceives reality. Incorrectly interpreting other people's words, such people often have wrong ideas about what kind of relationship they are with others and what status they occupy in society. For example, hysterical personalities quickly begin to consider themselves the best friends of the person they just met, not realizing that their new acquaintance does not think so.

3. They often ruin others' fun. For example, they tell how the film will end, come up with unlikely reasons why someone's plans may fail, spoil the mood of others by making scenes over trifles. They do all this to be in the spotlight, to prove to others that they are smart and right - a typical manifestation of obsessive-compulsive and narcissistic traits.

4. They don't understand that "no" means no. The tendency to violate the personal boundaries of others is a typical symptom. Those suffering from these disorders do not recognize the right of others to set limits and easily violate any boundaries they do not like. People with antisocial and borderline personality disorders violate other people's boundaries for other reasons - the former enjoy it, while the latter often do not even realize that they are violating something.

5. They try to make themselves look like a victim. To avoid responsibility, people with personality disorders tend to portray themselves as victims, for example, talking about their difficult childhood and long-term psychological trauma. But it is one thing when a patient with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffers from difficult memories, and quite another when a person tries to manipulate others or avoid responsibility by portraying himself as a victim and talking about a difficult past. Paranoid, dependent or antisocial personalities are especially prone to this.

6. They have an imbalance in personal relationships. Some disorders (borderline, hysteroid, and addiction) are characterized by too close and emotional relationships, while others (with a narcissistic, avoidant, schizoid, schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive or antisocial disorder), on the contrary, emotional intimacy is almost inaccessible. In any case, relationships are built unbalanced - either too close, or cold and distant.

7. It is very difficult for them to change themselves. Growth and development are almost not given to such people. They can change, but very slowly. It is usually not possible to completely get rid of the disorder, with the exception of borderline disorder: studies show that it responds well to certain types of psychotherapy.

8. They shift the blame to others. If a person comes to a psychotherapist with a partner, he often tries to show himself as perfection, and the partner is almost crazy. It is not uncommon for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder to bring a paper to the therapist listing all of their partner's shortcomings. When their mistakes and shortcomings are pointed out to them, they try to blame someone else for them.

9. They are prone to outright lies. It's one thing to lie to save someone's feelings (which people with personality disorders don't usually care about), and quite another to lie outright to protect themselves. Such individuals cannot admit that they are the problem and resort to deception. And if they do, they usually do it as dramatically as possible, trying to win over the interlocutor. The most dangerous lie of a person with antisocial personality disorder, often it threatens others with real mental trauma.

10. They have a distorted view of reality. Schizoid and schizotypal personalities have a distorted idea of ​​life and their place in it. They seem to look at the world through glasses through which everything is seen a little differently than it really is. Their view of the world is largely based on fantasy rather than reality.

These 10 signs may be a reason to suspect a person has a personality disorder, but remember that only a specialist can make a final diagnosis, so you should not jump to conclusions.

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Psychologist-consultant with 15 years of experience. Her website.

Pathologies related to human activity in the mental plane include a personality disorder, the symptoms of which can only be determined with a detailed acquaintance with the disease. To understand what kind of condition it is, you need to pay attention to the behavior of the patient and, if they are detected, consult a doctor. Better yet, take preventive measures to eliminate a serious disease.

Mental illness is a whole cluster of disorders to which the ailment we are describing is directly related. To understand more competently in this matter, you need to start with the usual examples for us. Let's start with the fact that each of us is an individual with a certain, normal type of thinking, perception of reality, environment, attitude to various situations, time, space, etc. As soon as adolescence begins, until recently, an unintelligent child is already able to show his personal character traits, has his own style of behavior. Despite the fact that with age certain features are activated or fade away, they still accompany a person until the last moment of life. But this is an example of an ordinary person who does not suffer from mental pathology. In the case of a patient, a personality disorder is a rigidity, maladaptation of traits that cause a malfunction in its functioning. Sick people from time to time undergo psychological protection for no reason or irritating factors, which is why such people remain maladaptive, with an immature type of thinking, and so on, almost all their lives.

According to international standards, there is a code “Personality disorder microbial 10”, since the problem affects all areas of human life, and only an experienced specialist is able to identify ten types of disorders, three specific clusters of the disease, based on clinical indicators.

Personality disorder affects all areas of human life

Personality disorder: symptoms and signs

Let us first study the signs of mental deviation. A person suffering from a disorder can hide his features for a long time, which is called frustration in medicine and at certain moments show his anger, aggression towards others. A large number of patients are worried about their lives, they almost always have problems with employees, relatives, friends. Pathology is often accompanied by mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, excessive intake of psychotropic, sedative drugs, moreover, there is a failure in eating behavior.

Important: experts pay attention to the fact that in severe forms of the disease, a person can fall into deep hypochondria, is capable of violent actions, self-destructive actions.

In the family, the patient can behave very contradictory, be too emotional, tough or conniving, allow family members anything that leads to the development of somatic and physical pathologies in children.

For reference: studies have shown that approximately 13% of the total population of the planet suffers from PD, and the pathology of an antisocial nature is more common among men than among women (ratio 6 to 1), the borderline condition is more common in women (ratio 3 to 1).

Symptoms of personality deviations

Provoking factors of the disease can occur in childhood, adolescence. At first, they can definitely be considered, but with the stage of growing up, already in the future life, there is no specific delineation. The manifestation of signs is not observed in specific aspects, but relates to all spheres of human activity - emotional, mental, interpersonal, volitional. The main symptoms of the disease include:

• pathology in the character manifests itself totally: at work, at home, among friends;
• pathology in the personality remains stable: it begins in childhood and pursues all life;
• due to problems with behavior, character, etc., social maladjustment occurs, regardless of the attitude of the environment.

Personality disorder can be identified by a number of symptoms

Personality disorder: types

According to the psychoanalytic classification, doctors distinguish a number of disorders and the most characteristic of them are:

socialized conduct disorder

In this case, a person (a child, a teenager and older) seeks to draw the attention of others with their inconsistency with generally accepted social norms of behavior. Persons with such a pathology always have a certain charm, special manners, strive to impress others. Their main character trait is to receive benefits without investing any physical effort. Literally from childhood, they are accompanied by a continuous series of wrong deeds: absenteeism from school, running away from the garden, at home, constant lies, fights, joining gangs, criminal groups, theft, drug use, alcohol, manipulation of loved ones. The peak of pathology most often falls on the pubertal period from 14 to 16 years.

Unsocialized conduct disorder

This type of behavior is accompanied by persistent dissociation, aggression, disruption of relationships with peers and relatives. Domestic psychiatry calls the type "deviant", the symptoms of which are manifested:

• Affective excitability - irritability, fits of anger, aggression (fights, humiliation, insults) predominate in the character. With prohibitions and restrictions, a protest reaction arises - refusal to attend school, teach lessons, etc.
• Mental instability - excessive suggestibility, dependence on the pleasures received from external conditions, a tendency to deceive.
• Violation of desires - vagrancy, running away from home, aggression, sadistic inclinations, violation of sexual behavior (preversion).
• Impulsive-epileptoid - a tendency to protracted outbursts of affective behavior, a long exit from a state of anger, revenge, stubbornness.

Personality disorder of organic etiology

Psychopathy is an organic disorder that occurs as a result of previous brain diseases:

• traumatic brain injury;
• infectious diseases: encephalitis, meningitis;
• excessive alcohol consumption;
• taking drugs;
• abuse of psychotropic drugs;
• neoplasms in the brain;
• atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension;
• autoimmune pathologies;
• powerful intoxication.

According to experts, the disorder often becomes a companion of epilepsy, approximately 10% of the total number of patients suffer from mental disorders.

Important: the listed provoking factors can cause serious damage to the human psyche, so it is necessary to consult a doctor in time for adequate treatment in order to prevent mental disorders.

seasonal personality disorder

Many of us are familiar with seasonal depression, especially during those times of the year when there is little sun, it rains, the sky is overcast. But do not confuse this state with affective human behavior, repeated at certain times of the year. In persons with SAD, the problem also occurs due to a lack of sunlight, the main supplier of the hormone of cheerfulness, joy, and energy. But at the same time, they absolutely cannot cope with a behavior disorder, which is expressed in such signs as:

• long sleep;
• feeling of brokenness;
• desire to sleep during the daytime;
• early awakening;
• low mood;
• drop in self-esteem;
• feeling of hopelessness, despair;
• tearfulness;
• inability to cope with everyday activities, activities;
• irascibility;
• attacks of aggression, anger, irritability;
• tension, anxiety.

With an affective disorder, it is difficult for a seasonal person to endure any stress, even minor troubles, he does not control not only social, but also eating, sexual behavior, which leads to an increase in body weight, sexual problems.

Tearfulness is one of the symptoms of a personality disorder.

Pathology can occur at any age, but more often it affects people aged 18 to 30 years.

Personality and behavior disorder in adulthood

In this case, the pathology can be expressed in different ways, it all depends on what clinical manifestations accompany a person throughout life. The individual characteristics of the individual, how his relationship with others have developed, is important. Many signs are acquired not only at an early age, but also in later stages. Symptoms such as mixed, long-lasting, refer to protracted and deeply rooted behaviors, as a person managed to survive a lot of serious situations, and the psyche developed a response.

A factor in the development of disorders in advanced age is also a number of diseases inherent in the aging body.

Important: a personality disorder is a very serious diagnosis, and for it you can miss a more dangerous illness - schizophrenia, so you need to urgently contact a specialist and undergo a thorough examination.

Personality disorder and work

For persons with PD of certain types, it is necessary to select work taking into account the characteristics of behavior. With the right choice, work helps a person to realize himself, adapt with society, meet financial needs, and most importantly, switch from frustration to more positive activities. Employment includes several stages:

1. Protected- the patient works under the constant supervision of a doctor or a social worker, the work is simplified, the mode is sparing.
2. Transition- work with the usual mode, but the control by the social worker or doctor continues.
3. General grounds- work at the usual place, with training at the enterprise, control is maintained.

Not a single specialist will give universal recommendations regarding the employment of a person with PD. It all depends on individual abilities and the severity of the symptoms of the disease.

Work and labor are not at all prohibited in personality disorders, but, on the contrary, are shown

With complex forms of disorders, doctors do not recommend getting a job, attending educational institutions until effective treatment has been completed and the diagnosis has been eliminated.

How to Treat a Personality Disorder

To eliminate symptoms such as anxiety, panic, depression and others, medication is being taken. The number of drugs includes psychotropic, neuroleptic drugs, serotonin inhibitors. Risperidone is used to exclude depresonalization.

Psychotherapy is aimed at correcting inadequate signs, but it is worth remembering that the treatment will be lengthy. The cognitive-behavioral method allows the patient to pay attention to his behavior, and not the consequences caused by his actions. The specialist can force the patient to obey his orders, for example, stop screaming, speak quietly, calmly, control himself during the moments of attacks. Equally important is the participation of relatives of the patient, who should also know the diagnosis of "personality disorder", what it is, communicate with a specialist and develop a certain demeanor. Positive results can be expected after 5-6 months of continuous exposure to the patient. The optimal duration of treatment is from 3 years.

How to be diagnosed with a personality disorder

In Russia, free medical and advisory assistance is provided to people with PD. There is no record of patients with this diagnosis, as in the past. After appropriate treatment, patients are under dynamic examination in the dispensary for some time, that is, it is necessary to visit doctors within six months. To remove the diagnosis is mainly sought by persons wishing to find a job as a driver, security guard. If the patient does not visit a doctor for five years, then his card is transferred to the medical archive, from where it can be claimed by law enforcement agencies, the personnel department, etc.

Removal of the diagnosis is possible after a successful treatment course

It is theoretically possible to remove the diagnosis only after 5 years, but only if the patient has been under observation for a year, and the doctor canceled the treatment. For premature removal of the diagnosis, it is necessary to contact a psychiatric clinic, undergo an examination, and obtain the approval of the commission. Some people with PD, feeling completely healthy, are confident in the positive decision of doctors, but the latter, in turn, may draw the opposite conclusion.

Personality disorder is a long-term and persistent violation of various aspects of the activity of the psyche. There is no productive psychosomatics in such behavior, therefore, the person himself or the people 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 are caused by persistent disturbances in thoughts, emotions and actions. Each person has his own characteristics of the psyche, and when someone's behavior stands out against the general background, this provokes irritation in other people. Certain problems appear that affect the life of a person with disabilities and those who are close to him. If such a condition significantly affects a person’s daily life, it is advisable to talk about the need for qualified help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

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

The mechanism of occurrence of violations

What is a personality disorder? They can be defined as a type of mental disorder that clinical psychologists and psychiatrists qualify. It is defined as persistent violations that manifest themselves in the actions, emotions and thoughts of a person. 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 often appear in childhood or adolescence. The severity of deviations in actions and the external environment affect the possibility of adaptation with such a diagnosis. Under positive circumstances, adaptation occurs, in unfavorable cases, disadaptation occurs. Factors that provoke decompensation are:

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

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

Mental disorders in a person cause an inadequate perception of the world around him, abnormal problem solving and attitude towards people. It is difficult for such people 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 their causes

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

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

The Manual of Mental Disorders gives its own criteria for assessing behavior and is the main one in determining such a diagnosis as a personality disorder. Each person has their own personality traits that are closely related to other people and events. Some people tend to ask for help in difficult situations, while others solve their problems on their own. Some people are condescending about the problems that have arisen, while others tend to exaggerate even small problems.

No matter 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 adequately respond to the problems and difficulties that have arisen. They do not know how to properly build relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues. These violations vary in severity.

Since such individuals do not realize that their thoughts and behavior are unacceptable in society, for this reason, their appeal to specialists is rare. More often, such people come with problems such as chronic tension that occurs due to disorders, anxiety symptoms, or a depressive state. They believe that their problems are caused by other people or circumstances that are beyond their control. To date, the effectiveness of the treatment of 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, manifestations of suicidal tendencies;
• the development of mental disorders in children of a sick person due to his inadequate upbringing, which is expressed in emotional breakdowns, an 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;
• refusal of a sick person to be responsible for their behavior, as a result of which distrust of everyone around develops.

The frequency of violations is about 9% of the population worldwide.

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Types of disorders

All types of personality disorders are divided into such main categories as:

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

All types of personality disorders are different in terms of their intensity and the reasons for their appearance. As for the classification of personality disorders, it is conditional, since mixed types of disorders are often found, which include signs of different types of disorders.

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

With the development of the disease, the degree of complexity and intensity of the symptoms develop. If such a person feels offended, he can write complaints to state authorities, in which he indicates any views or actions that the enemy, as they think, is manifesting deliberately and with obvious malevolence towards them. Such a person can send anonymous threatening letters. The number of people persecuting them is growing, this can include everyone who did not understand them in time and did not properly participate in their fate. In such cases, a person may develop overvalued delusions, delusions of jealousy. Individuals with delusions are socially dangerous, as they may have the ability to act aggressively towards their imaginary enemies or towards a spouse who is considered a traitor.

Passive-aggressive type of disorder is expressed in irritability, envy, spitefulness, 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 dependence and various somatic disorders.

The narcissistic type is expressed in a strong exaggeration of one's abilities and virtues, attributing non-existent talents and heroic deeds. Such individuals are very fond of being praised and admired; Successful people make them jealous.

The dependent type of disorders is manifested in low self-esteem, self-doubt, evasion of responsibility. The main problem of such individuals is the rejection of loneliness. They can endure humiliation and resentment.

Anxious type is expressed in fear of various manifestations in the outside world. Such individuals are afraid of public speaking, they have a lot, they are very susceptible to criticism, they need constant support and approval from society.

The anancaste type is manifested in excessive shyness, impressionability, self-doubt. Such a syndrome is doubtful, the patient avoids responsibility, he may have obsessive thoughts.

With the histrionic type, there are signs such as the need for constant attention; people are impulsive, prone to sudden changes in an already changeable 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 significance, often lead a double life: in society they behave friendly, and they show real tyranny in the family.

Emotionally unstable disorder is expressed in great excitability, violent reaction and discontent. 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, the denial of generally accepted moral norms, and the failure to accept one's own duties. Such individuals, unfortunately, are not inclined to commit actions, they regularly deceive, openly manipulate other people, take advantage of their location, and at the same time they do not have anxiety and depression.

In the schizoid type, personality and behavioral disorders are expressed in the desire of a sick person to be alone. Such people avoid relationships and contact with people, are indifferent to praise or criticism, and animals often become their only friends. The surrounding society is fenced off from the patient if a person has such a disease.

Over the past decades, psychiatrists have been trying to classify personality disorders, which are a persistent lack of human adaptive functions. The most complete picture has been presented in the DSM-5, the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, many questions about personality disorders remain unanswered. How many personality disorders are there? How different are they from each other? How long do symptoms of a disorder need to be present before a diagnosis can be made? And most importantly: are personality disorders treatable?

Narcissistic, antisocial, borderline personality disorder - these psychological terms are familiar to many of us due to their active use in books, films and TV shows. Thus, it can be said that personality disorders are becoming part of the culture.

However, psychiatrists and psychologists still cannot say with certainty whether personality disorders are separate diseases or whether they are all manifestations of the same mental process.

Professor Sylvia Wilson of the University of Minnesota used interpersonal theory to identify interpersonal communication styles in a given personality disorder. The style of communication is determined by the individual approach of a person to the situation of communication with another person and to relationships in general. Communication style includes the emotions that a person experiences when communicating with other people, the goals of communication, and how a person perceives and interprets communication with other people and their behavior.

A person's communication style is usually clear at the first meeting: he may seem friendly and open, or, conversely, aggressive, suspicious and cold. The idea of ​​comparing the communication style of an individual and a personality disorder is quite natural, because it is in the course of communication with other people that a mental disorder manifests itself most clearly.

Psychological theories of interpersonal communication of the mid-20th century say: "All communication reflects an attempt by a person to establish and maintain self-esteem, avoiding anxiety." It turns out that in any relationship a person strives to feel comfortable. Recognition of one's own weakness entails a feeling of anxiety. Based on this theory, the purpose of communication for a person is to obtain external approval and confirmation of one's own significance.

Using the theory of interpersonal communication, Wilson and colleagues proposed a gradation of human behavior in the process of interacting with other people (from dominance to submission) and a gradation of emotional participation in the process of communication (from warm to cold style of communication).

During the study, Wilson and colleagues evaluated more than 4,800 questionnaires of people with borderline disorder, containing answers to questions about interpersonal relationships. The authors conducted 120 separate analyzes of interpersonal communication in various contexts: family, friendship, parent-child and romantic. The gender, age and mental disorder of the individual (clinical or non-clinical case) were taken into account. The authors were able to identify the main features of interpersonal communication for each of the 10 personality disorders.

The results of the study are useful not only for classification, but also for understanding how people with a particular personality disorder approach relationships. Understanding this allows those who are in relationships with people suffering from this or that disorder to better understand their partners.

Consider the difference between communicating with a person with a particular personality disorder.

Paranoid. People with this disorder are usually pathologically suspicious, vengeful, and cold. Sometimes they show persistence and climb into other people's business.

Schizoid. Coldness coupled with avoidance of social contact are the main features of schizoid disorder. Such people are usually extremely closed, they make contact only when necessary. People with this disorder are generally not inclined to exploit other people.

Schizotypal. People with schizotypal personality disorder usually combine features of the two previous personality disorders. They are vindictive, cold, extremely difficult to make contact. This disorder is characterized by strange, eccentric and socially frowned upon behavior.

Dissocial. This personality disorder is characterized by aggressiveness, vindictiveness, impulsiveness, and an inability to form close relationships. In another way, antisocial disorder is called psychopathy.

Border. People with this disorder are very vindictive, they are accustomed to blaming others for their own problems. One of the features of this disorder is the habit of interfering in the affairs of other people. In dealing with such people, you will often feel that they violate the boundaries of what is permitted.

Histrionic. This disorder is extremely rare. People with histrionic disorder are hysterical, they seek to establish power and dominance. They completely do not notice the boundaries in communication with others and are very surprised if someone refuses to obey them.

Narcissistic. People with this disorder are convinced of their own uniqueness and superiority over others. Behaviorally, narcissistic disorder is very similar to antisocial personality disorder. He is also characterized by dominance, vindictiveness and coldness.

Avoidant. This disorder is characterized by social isolation, excessive anxiety, excessive dependence on the opinions of others. People with this disorder do not have a desire for power. They prefer loneliness, closeness and contact with other people only when necessary.

Dependent. People with a dependent disorder are in dire need of care and attention, which they constantly try to get from other people. They are characterized by submission and at the same time the desire to manipulate others. Not having achieved what they want, they begin to take revenge on their offender.

Obsessive-compulsive. Excessive perfectionism, rigidity, restraint in terms of expressing emotions are the main features of people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Of course, this set of qualities provokes problems at work and in personal life, but people with this disorder more often than others achieve a high social status and material well-being. People with this disorder tend to pay too much attention to one side of life to the detriment of the other. Usually they devote themselves entirely to work, forgetting about the family. It is worth noting that this disorder is almost imperceptible in communication with a person, so it is not easy to diagnose it.

Summing up the above, the authors of the study conclude that personality disorders are always associated with dysfunctional patterns of behavior and communication. All of the above disorders to some extent affect relationships with other people. First of all, this influence extends to family relationships.

A better understanding of people with a personality disorder leads to more supportive relationships with them. You don't need to be a practicing psychiatrist to figure out the basic patterns of people's behavior in everyday life. By communicating with a person, you can understand what kind of disorder he suffers, and show empathy, while maintaining a realistic view of the situation.

Original article: American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Revised (DSM-5). Washington DC:Author

Translation: Eliseeva Margarita Igorevna

Editor: Vyacheslav Simonov

Keywords: personality disorder, mental disorder, psychological health