Discussion Board 5

Following are Narrative sketches of Personality Disorders.  Read each account, discuss and "diagnose" the character based on the DSM Criteria for Personality Disorder descriptions.  Descriptions are located after the Narratives.  Please be advised, for each character there is only one disorder.

DONNA danced into the party and immediately became the center of attention. With sweeping gestures of her arms and dramatic displays of emotion, she boasted about her career as an actress in a local theater group. During a private conversation, a friend inquired about rumors that she was having some marital difficulties. In an outburst of anger, she denied any problems and claimed her marriage was as wonderful as ever. Shortly thereafter, while drinking her second martini, she fainted and had to be taken home.

WILLIAM wandered into the party, but didn’t stay long. The "negative forces" in the room were unsettling to his "psychic soul spot." The few guests he spoke to felt somewhat uneasy being with this aloof "space cadet."

SHERRY paraded into the party drunk and continued to drink throughout the night. Laughing and giggling, she flirted with many of the men and to two of them expressed her "deep affection." Twice during the evening she disappeared for almost half an hour, each time with a different man. After a violent argument with one of them, because he took "too long" to get her a drink, she locked herself into the bathroom and tried to swallow a bottle of aspirin. Her friends encouraged her to go home, but she was afraid to be alone in her apartment. 

WINSTON spent most of the time talking about his trip to Europe, his new Mercedes, and his favorite French restaurants. People seemed bored being around him, but he kept right on talking. When he made a critical remark about how one of the women was dressed–and hurt her feelings–he could not apologize for his obvious blunder. He tried to talk his way around it, and even seemed to blame her for being upset.

MARGIE didn’t come to the party, even though she promised the hostess she would bring the ice.  The hostess, Anna, was her immediate supervisor.  Margie was sure she was passed over for promotion because Anna was envious of her popularity in the office.  

Margie told the Anna two hours before the party that she would be on time.  She didn’t get the ice from the supermarket; but she did buy a microwaveable dinner.  She thoroughly enjoyed her meal.  And the idea of the Anna’s facial expression when she realized there was no ice brought a smile to her face.  In fact, the hostess was very upset that everyone had warm drinks.

DSM CHARACTERISTICS FOR PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Paranoid: suspicious; argumentative; continually on the lookout for treachery or abuse; jealous; tendency to blame others; cold and humorless

Sociopath: breaks rules and laws; takes advantage of others for personal gain; feels no remorse or guilt; appears charming and friendly on the surface

Schizotypal: aloof and indifferent; magical thinking; superstitious beliefs; uses unusual words and has peculiar ideas; mild form of schizophrenia

Narcissistic: grandiose; crave attention of others; extremely self-centered; feel they are "special" or privileged; emotions are not erratic

Borderline: unstable relationships; erratic emotions; self-damaging behavior; impulsive; unpredictable sexual and aggressive behavior; easily angered

Histrionic: overly dramatic; attention seekers; easily angered; seductive; dependent on others; shallow and manipulative; vain; displays intense but false emotions

Compulsive: perfectionists; overly concerned with details, rules, schedules; more concerned with work than pleasure; serious and formal; cannot express tender feelings

Passive-aggressive: indirect resistance to others’ demands, and avoidance of direct confrontation; may manifest as procrastination, habitual lateness, backhanded comments, obstructionism, learned helplessness, playing the victim, feigning compliance with others’ requests, sarcasm, making excuses

Schizoid: has few friends; a loner; indifferent to praise and criticism of others; unable to form close relationships; no warm or tender feelings for others