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Personality disorders

What are personality disorders in schizophrenia? 

Personality disorders are enduring patterns of behaviours, thoughts and feelings that deviate from social norms. Many people exhibit these behaviours, thoughts or feelings occasionally, but deviations that persist across situations and cause significant distress and impairment are considered disorders.

There are a number of different personality disorders. These include; antisocial personality disorder (disregard for the rights of others); schizoid personality disorder (detachment of social interactions and limited emotional expression); schizotypal personality disorder (discomfort of close relationships, cognitive distortions and eccentric behaviour); paranoid personality disorder (distrust and suspiciousness of others); borderline personality disorder (self-harming, difficulty relating to others); histrionic personality disorder (patterns of attention-seeking behaviour and emotions); narcissistic personality disorder (disregard of others, inflated self-image); avoidant personality disorder (feelings of inadequacy, social inhibition); dependent personality disorder (extreme psychological dependence on others); obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (excessive control, orderliness); and personality disorder not otherwise specified (mixed symptoms).

What is the evidence for comorbid personality disorders?

Moderate quality evidence suggests the prevalence rate of personality disorders in people with schizophrenia or in those at high risk of psychosis is around 39.5%, with rates varying greatly across studies. This variation may be explained by the country in which the study was conducted, the study type, instruments of personality disorder diagnosis, or the type of patient care.

June 2020

Last updated at: 5:05 pm, 15th February 2022
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Tags:  Personality

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