Personality Health Dictionary

The individual with this psychiatric disorder has two or more di?erent personalities, often contrasting. The dominant personality at the time determines the behaviour and attitude of the individual, who customarily seems not to know about the other personality – or personalities. The switch from one personality to another is abrupt and the mental condition of the di?ering personalities is usually normal. It is possible that child abuse is a factor in the disorder, which is treated by psychotherapy. The classic multiple personality was the ?ctional form of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.... multiple personality disorder

Condition in which the individual fails to learn from experience or to adapt to changes. The outcome is impaired social functioning and personal distress. There are three broad overlapping groups. One group is characterised by eccentric behaviour with paranoid or schizoid overtones. The second group shows dramatic and emotional behaviour with self-centredness and antisocial behaviour as typical components of the disorder. In the third group, anxiety and fear are the main characteristics, which are accompanied by dependency and compulsive behaviour. These disorders are not classed as illnesses but psychotherapy and behavioural therapy may help. The individuals affected are notoriously resistant to any help that is o?ered, tending to blame other people, circumstances or bad luck for their persistent diffculties. (See MENTAL ILLNESS; MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER; MUNCHAUSEN’S SYNDROME.)... personality disorder

Impulsive, destructive behaviour that often disregards the feelings and rights of others.

People who have an antisocial personality lack a sense of guilt and cannot tolerate frustration.

They may have problems with relationships and are frequently in trouble with the law.

Behaviour therapy, and various forms of psychotherapy, may help to improve integration.

In general, the effects of this disorder decrease with age.... antisocial personality disorder

A personality disorder that falls between neurotic and psychotic levels. Mood changes are often rapid and inappropriate. Angry outbursts are common, as are impulsive, self-damaging acts such as gambling or suicide attempts.... borderline personality disorder

See multiple personality.... dual personality

A rare disorder in which a person has 2 or more distinct personalities, each of which dominates at different times. The personalities are usually very different from each other.... multiple personality

A group of conditions characterized by a failure to learn from experience or to adapt appropriately to changes, resulting in distress and impairment of social functioning. Personality disorders are ways of behaving that may become especially obvious during periods of stress. They are usually first recognizable in adolescence and continue throughout life, often leading to depression or anxiety.

Specific types of personality disorders are divided into 3 groups but there is often overlap. The 1st group is characterized by eccentric behaviour. Paranoid people show suspiciousness and mistrust of others, schizoid people are cold emotionally, and schizotypal personalities have behaviour oddities similar to those of schizophrenia, but less severe.In the 2nd group, behaviour tends to be dramatic. Histrionic people are excitable and constantly crave stimulation, narcissists have an exaggerated sense of their own importance (see narcissism), and people with antisocial personality disorder fail to conform to accepted social standards of behaviour.

People in the 3rd group show anxiety and fear. Dependent personalities lack the self-confidence to function independently (see dependence). Those with compulsive personalities are rigid in their habits (see obsessive–compulsive disorder), and passive-aggressive people resist demands from others.

Treatment is usually counselling, psychotherapy, and behaviour therapy.... personality disorders

Questionnaires designed to define various personality traits or types. Tests may be designed to detect psychiatric symptoms, underlying personality traits, how outgoing or reserved a person is, and predisposition to developing neurotic illness.... personality tests

Inability to relate socially to other people. People with this trait, which is apparent from childhood, are often described as “loners” and have few, if any, friends. They are eccentric, seem to lack concern for others, and are apparently detached from normal day-to-day activities.... schizoid personality disorder

A common term for multiple personality.

It is also used, incorrectly, to describe schizophrenia.... split personality

a type of *personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, self-dramatization, inappropriately seductive behaviour, and an excessive need for approval. It affects more women than men. Classified as a specific personality disorder in DSM-IV-TR, in DSM-5 it is treated as a subtype of *narcissistic personality disorder.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) a *retrovirus responsible for *AIDS. There are two varieties, HIV-1 and HIV-2; the latter is most common in Africa. See also HTLV.... histrionic personality disorder

a personality characterized by solitariness, emotional coldness to others, inability to experience pleasure, lack of response to praise and criticism, withdrawal into a fantasy world, excessive introspection, and eccentricity of behaviour. See personality disorder.... schizoid personality

a personality disorder characterized by cold aloof feelings, eccentricities of behaviour, odd ways of thinking and talking, and occasional short periods of intense illusions, hallucinations, or delusion-like ideas.... schizotypal personality disorder

a *personality disorder characterized by a tendency to act impulsively without consideration of the consequences, unpredictable and capricious mood, a tendency towards outbursts of emotion, inability to control behavioural explosions, quarrelsome behaviour, and conflict with others. There is an impulsive type, with particular emphasis on impulsivity and quarrelsome behaviour, especially when criticized; and a borderline type, with an emphasis on disturbance and uncertainty about self-image (including sexual preference), liability to become involved in intense and unstable relationships, excessive efforts to avoid abandonment, recurrent threats or acts of self-harm, and chronic feelings of emptiness. Treatments include cognitive analytical therapy (see cognitive therapy), *antipsychotic medication, and occasionally *SSRIs and *lithium. In DSM-5 the disorder is called borderline personality disorder.... emotionally unstable personality disorder