Personality Disorders — MCQs

Q: Which of the following is a characteristic feature of Histrionic Personality Disorder?

Attention-seeking behavior. ***Attention-seeking behavior*** - Individuals with **Histrionic Personality Disorder** exhibit pervasive and excessive **emotionality** and **attention-seeking behaviors**. - This often manifests as discomfort when not being the center of attention and using physical appearance to draw attention to themselves. *Disregard for social norms* - This is a primary characteristic of **Antisocial Personality Disorder**, involving a persistent pattern of **disregard for and violation of the rights of others**, not HPD. - Individuals with antisocial personality disorder often engage in deceitfulness, impulsivity, and lack of remorse. *Emotional instability* - While histrionic individuals can have rapidly shifting emotions, profound **emotional instability**, including rapid mood swings and intense anger, is more characteristic of **Borderline Personality Disorder**. - **Borderline Personality Disorder** also features instability in relationships and self-image, which differs from the attention-seeking nature of HPD. *Exaggerated emotional expression* - While individuals with HPD often display **exaggerated emotional expression**, it is a component of their broader and more encompassing **attention-seeking behavior**, making "attention-seeking behavior" the more definitive characteristic among the choices. - The emotional displays are often shallow and theatrical, serving the purpose of drawing and maintaining attention.

Q: Borderline personality disorder is characterized by?

Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships.. ***Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships*** - A hallmark of **Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)** is a pervasive pattern of **unstable relationships**, characterized by extreme shifts from idealization to devaluation. - Individuals with BPD often experience fear of abandonment, leading to desperate efforts to avoid real or imagined separation. *Disregard for societal norms* - This characteristic is more indicative of **Antisocial Personality Disorder**, where there is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. - Individuals with BPD may engage in impulsive or reckless behavior, but it's typically driven by emotional dysregulation rather than a fundamental disregard for societal rules. *Lack of empathy* - A profound **lack of empathy** is a core feature of **Narcissistic Personality Disorder** and **Antisocial Personality Disorder**, where individuals struggle to recognize or share the feelings of others. - While individuals with BPD may struggle with interpersonal understanding due to their emotional lability, a complete lack of empathy is not their primary defining feature. *Excessive need for admiration* - An **excessive need for admiration** and a sense of entitlement are key diagnostic criteria for **Narcissistic Personality Disorder**. - While individuals with BPD may seek attention or validation, it's typically in the context of their fear of abandonment and unstable self-image, rather than a grandiose sense of self-importance.

Q: Which of the following is not a Cluster A personality disorder?

anankastic. ***Anankastic*** - **Anankastic personality disorder**, also known as **obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)**, is classified under **Cluster C** personality disorders. - Cluster C disorders are characterized by anxious, fearful thinking or behavior, which differentiates them from the odd or eccentric behaviors of Cluster A. *Schizoid* - **Schizoid personality disorder** is a **Cluster A** personality disorder, characterized by a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings. - Individuals with schizoid personality disorder typically show no desire for close relationships, including those with family members. *Schizotypal* - **Schizotypal personality disorder** is a **Cluster A** personality disorder, characterized by pervasive patterns of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships, as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior. - These individuals may have odd beliefs or magical thinking that is inconsistent with cultural norms. *Paranoid* - **Paranoid personality disorder** is a **Cluster A** personality disorder, characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others, such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. - Individuals with this disorder often believe that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving them, even without sufficient basis.

Practice by Chapter

Classification of Personality Disorders

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Cluster A Personality Disorders

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Cluster B Personality Disorders

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Cluster C Personality Disorders

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Borderline Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Narcissistic Personality Disorder

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Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy

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Mentalization-Based Therapy

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Pharmacological Approaches

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Outcome and Prognosis

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