Personality disorder | Implications | Resources | Treatment options |
---|---|---|---|
Paranoid | Problems dealing with high expressed emotion; needs time to build trust; needs great patience; problems with groups, especially confrontative groups. | Careful, able to cope in realistic danger; protects own privacy | Counselling; inpatient treatment in small wards with great flexibility; not exploratory psychotherapy [10] |
Schizoid | Problems dealing with high expressed emotion; needs great patience; does not benefit from requests for participation in social activities. | Able to deal with being alone; | Counselling; possibly inpatient treatment in small wards with great flexibility [10] |
Schizotypal | Problems dealing with high expressed emotion; needs great patience; problems with groups; needs time to build trust. | Creative, independent thinking | Counselling; possibly inpatient treatment in small wards with great flexibility [10]; antipsychotic medication |
Antisocial | Impulse actions; "plays the game"; needs straight talk from counsellor or case worker; transgresses boundaries in treatment; | Great potential for action under many circumstances | Therapeutic community or similar treatment [33]; regular addictions treatment; cognitive-behavioural interventions, or similar |
Borderline | Impulse actions; transgresses boundaries in treatment; needs to learn to cope with emotion; chaotic relationships to therapists | Sensitive and able to experience emotions | Psychotherapeutic treatment; antidepressants; antipsychotics; inpatient treatment; long-term involvement |
Histrionic | Flirts and appears shallow and superficial to others; has difficulties focusing on own situation and issues | Charming and outgoing | Psychotherapeutic treatment; counselling; inpatient treatment; cognitive-behavioural interventions |
Narcissistic | Appears grandiose and arrogant; makes it difficult for staff members to intervene ("scares" away all criticism) | Has ability to feel pride | Inpatient treatment for drug misuse; self-change program, cognitive-behavioural interventions |
Avoidant | Difficulty getting out with new people; stays in "safe zones", and has difficulty trying out new treatment options or seeking social support or employment | Self-protective; sometimes able to stay out of trouble by keeping away | Psychotherapeutic treatment; antidepressants; inpatient or outpatient treatment; individual counselling and case management |
Dependent | At high risk of abusive relationships | Good ability to form working relationships; good compliance | Psychotherapeutic treatment; antidepressants; inpatient or outpatient treatment; individual counselling |
Obsessive-compulsive | Difficulties concluding in counselling or therapy settings; attempts to control counsellor, and other professionals | Sticks to goals | Psychoeducation; |