The 10 Personality Disorders

Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)

Core feature: Deep distrust and suspicion of others.

• • Believes others are exploiting, deceiving, or harming them
• • Questions the loyalty of friends and family
• • Reluctant to confide in others
• • Reads hidden threats into harmless comments
• • Holds grudges for long periods
• • Quick to perceive insults or attacks

How it may appear: Someone constantly suspects coworkers are plotting against them without evidence.

Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD)

Core feature: Detachment from social relationships.

• • Prefers solitude
• • Little desire for close relationships
• • Limited emotional expression
• • Few interests in social or sexual experiences
• • Appears indifferent to praise or criticism

How it may appear: A person who is content living alone and rarely seeks social interaction.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder (STPD)

Core feature: Unusual beliefs and eccentric behavior.

• • Odd thinking or magical beliefs
• • Unusual perceptual experiences
• • Peculiar speech or appearance
• • Social anxiety
• • Suspiciousness
• • Few close relationships

How it may appear: Someone who believes they can sense future events and behaves in notably eccentric ways.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

Core feature: Disregard for the rights of others.

• • Repeated lying or manipulation
• • Impulsivity
• • Irritability and aggression
• • Reckless behavior
• • Lack of remorse
• • Failure to conform to social norms

How it may appear: A person repeatedly deceives others for personal gain without guilt.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Core feature: Instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions.

• • Intense fear of abandonment
• • Rapid mood swings
• • Unstable relationships
• • Unclear sense of identity
• • Impulsive behaviors
• • Chronic feelings of emptiness
• • Intense anger
• • Self-harm or suicidal behaviors may occur

How it may appear: Relationships often alternate between idealizing and devaluing others.

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

Core feature: Excessive emotionality and attention-seeking.

• • Discomfort when not the center of attention
• • Dramatic emotional displays
• • Uses appearance to attract attention
• • Easily influenced by others
• • Views relationships as more intimate than they are

How it may appear: Someone who constantly seeks reassurance, admiration, and attention.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

Core feature: Grandiosity and need for admiration.

• • Inflated sense of self-importance
• • Fantasies of success, power, or beauty
• • Belief of being special or unique
• • Requires excessive admiration
• • Sense of entitlement
• • Exploits others
• • Limited empathy
• • Sensitive to criticism

How it may appear: A person may expect special treatment and react strongly to perceived disrespect.

Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD)

Core feature: Social inhibition due to fear of rejection.

• • Extremely sensitive to criticism
• • Avoids social situations
• • Feelings of inadequacy
• • Fear of embarrassment
• • Desires relationships but avoids them

How it may appear: Someone who wants friends but avoids social opportunities because of fear of being judged.

Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)

Core feature: Excessive need to be cared for.

• • Difficulty making decisions independently
• • Needs reassurance from others
• • Fear of separation
• • Difficulty expressing disagreement
• • Feels helpless when alone
• • Quickly seeks new relationships when one ends

How it may appear: A person may rely heavily on others to make everyday choices.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

Core feature: Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control.

• • Excessive focus on rules and details
• • Perfectionism that interferes with completing tasks
• • Rigid standards
• • Reluctance to delegate
• • Overly devoted to work and productivity
• • Stubbornness

How it may appear: Someone spends so much time perfecting a project that they never finish it.

Important: OCPD is different from OCD. People with OCD experience unwanted intrusive thoughts and compulsions, while people with OCPD generally see their perfectionism and need for order as appropriate or beneficial.