How Many Different Personality Disorders are There?

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How Many Different Personality Disorders are There?

Personality disorders are specific behavior patterns and inner experiences that differ from what’s typically expected of members of a person’s culture. These disorders involve inflexible and unusual:

• Perceptions of self, others, and situations
• Range and intensity of emotions
• Interpersonal functioning
• Impulse control

There are 10 distinct types of personality disorders, divided into three groups, or clusters. The clusters describe the general theme of the disorders within them. According to the DSM-5, cluster A personality disorders make people appear “odd or eccentric.” Cluster B includes disorders that cause people to seem “dramatic, emotional, or erratic,” and those with a cluster C disorder seem “anxious or fearful.”

The 10 personality disorders:

Cluster A

• Paranoid personality disorder
• Schizoid personality disorder
• Schizotypal personality disorder

Cluster B

• Antisocial personality disorder
• Borderline personality disorder
• Histrionic personality disorder
• Narcissistic personality disorder

Cluster C

• Avoidant personality disorder
• Dependent personality disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive personality disorder

It’s important to note that despite some similarities in names, these personality disorders are different from mental illnesses. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), for example, is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Personality disorders can be hard to understand, even for those who live with them. Knowing what a personality disorder is, the types that exist, and the nature of the clusters that categorize them is a good start to increasing your understanding.

Source

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Fifth
edition (DSM-5). Arlington, VA.

Related Articles Dealing with Personality Disorders

• Personality Disorder Symptoms, Diagnosis
• Personality Disorder Treatment
• Embrace the Benefits of Borderline Personality Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder and the Fear of Abandonment
• Who’s Attracted to a Narcissist?

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you have a personality disorder, how does it affect you? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• When Does a Bipolar Brain Work Best?
• Strange Dreams and Mental Health
• Make a Plan for Anxiety
• Being Physically Unwell When You Have Borderline Personality Disorder
• Why the New Weight Watchers App for Kids is a Really Bad Idea
• 7 Helpful Hints to Remembering Your Medication
• 12-Step Groups for Sex Addiction: My Experience
• Having No One to Talk to About Your Depression
• What Is Grey Area Verbal Abuse?
• Change These Habits that Cause Anxiety, Worsen Anxiety
• 3 Myths About Borderline Personality Disorder
• When You’re Feeling Hopeless About Having Low Self-Esteem
• Anxiety Relief: What Works and What Doesn't
• Finding Support in a Chaotic World

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Mental Health First Aid for Suicide Prevention
2. Self-Compassion Practices for Self-Care
3. Self-Harm and Feeling Lonely: A Cycle of Self-Injury

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."

Read more abuse quotes.

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