I want one of my characters to have a personality disorder, just for kicks. I'm challenging myself to see if I can write it, basically. Does anyone know a good list of personality disorders?
Cluster A (odd or eccentric disorders) * Paranoid personality disorder * Schizoid personality disorder * Schizotypal personality disorder Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, or erratic disorders) * Antisocial personality disorder * Borderline personality disorder * Histrionic personality disorder * Narcissistic personality disorder Cluster C (anxious or fearful disorders) * Avoidant personality disorder * Dependent personality disorder (not the same as Dysthymia) * Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (not the same as obsessive compulsive disorder)
google for the 'DSM IV'... there, you'll find 'em all, with good descriptions of symptoms and treatment...
True, but the DSM IV is pretty dry and terse, especially if you don't have a very good knowledge of psychological terms already. Once you have selected a particular disorder to focus on, search for that disorder together with "case study" to get a more detailed description of how someone with the disorder behaves. Don't settle for a single case study if you have a choice. You will also find some alternate names for the same disorder from the previous edition, DSM III. For example, Dissociative Disorder (DSM IV) is also known as Multiple Personality Disorder (DSM III).
That, cogito, is actually one of the class of dissociative disorders, NOT a personality disorder. (Hate to be picky, but meh). The dissociative disorders are (as classed by DSM IV-TR) are Dissociative Amesia, Dissociative Fugue, Depersonalization Disorder, and Dissociative Identity Disorder (what used to be MPD). Not that they aren't interesting (Dissociative Fugue, for example, I find fascinating), but they're NOT, strictly speaking, personality disorders.
Wikipedia is a rather good place to pick up those kinds of things. Great place for the non-personality disorders to (the medical ones that is) like porphyria, heamophilia, that would alter a persons personality as well.
Wikipedia is good. And I think that calling DSM-IV "pretty dry and terse" is an understatement, Cogito (I loathe the thing- we had to do a project with it in psychology)
How about Kleptomania? A personality disorder based on the "inability or great difficulty in resisting impulses of stealing". Then there's Trichotillomania, "an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair". Many "manias" out there.
My philosophy (heh) is that labels make you fall into a character flatland. Real people rarely exhibit textbook symptomatic behavior, at least when viewed over time. Also, people with personality disorders often exhibit behaviors from a mixture of disorders. Just as well-adjusted people can surprise you by acting out of what you have assumed is their character, emotionally wounded people can also surprise you. Any realistic character will do the same.
