Personality Disorders
Hanee Grace Kimmot-Saingan, RN, MAN
What are Personality Disorders?
• Enduring, rigid patterns of thinking, feeling, and
behaving that deviate from cultural expectations —
causing distress or dysfunction.
• Onset in adolescence or early adulthood
DSM-5 Clusters Overview
• Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric (Paranoid, Schizoid,
Schizotypal)
• Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic (Antisocial, Borderline,
Histrionic, Narcissistic)
• Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful (Avoidant, Dependent,
Obsessive-Compulsive)
Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric
•Paranoid: Distrustful, suspicious
•Schizoid: Detached, limited emotion
•Schizotypal: Odd beliefs, magical thinking
Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric
•Paranoid: Persistent distrust and
suspicion of others — kahit walang
ebidensya!
•Common Behaviors:
•Suspecting partner or friends of betrayal
•Reading hidden meanings into harmless remarks
•Holding grudges for a long time
Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
• Main Feature: Detachment from social relationships
+ limited emotional expression.
Common Behaviors:
• Prefers to be alone
• Little interest in sexual experiences
• Emotional coldness, flat affect
Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric
3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
• Main Feature: Acute social discomfort +
cognitive/perceptual distortions (a.k.a. weird
thinking).
•Common Behaviors:
•Odd beliefs (e.g., magical thinking)
•Unusual perceptual experiences (e.g., feeling
energies)
•Paranoid fears without full delusions
Disorder Key Word Fun Hint
Paranoid Distrust "Laging may secret enemy."
Schizoid Detachment "Happy ako, mag-isa lang."
Schizotypal Weirdness "May invisible energies d'yan!"
Quick Comparison:
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
•Characterized by dramatic, emotional,
or erratic behaviors.
•People in this cluster often seem
impulsive, intense, or attention-
seeking.
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
• Antisocial: Disregard for and violation of the
rights of others
• Borderline: Unstable relationships and self-
image
• Histrionic: Attention-seeking, emotional
• Narcissistic: Grandiosity, need for
admiration
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
1. Antisocial Personality Disorder
"Rules? Never heard of them."
•Main Feature:
Disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.
•Example: "Bawal magnakaw? Eh di huwag ako mahuli."
•Common Behaviors:
•Deceitful, manipulative
•No guilt or remorse
•Impulsive, aggressive
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
2. Borderline Personality Disorder
•Main Feature: Instability in relationships, self-image, and
emotions.
•Example: "Mahal na mahal kita... wait, bakit di mo ako tinext?
Break na tayo!"
•Common Behaviors:
•Intense fear of abandonment
•Rapid mood swings
•Self-harming behaviors
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
3. Histrionic Personality Disorder: ("Lights, camera, meee!")
Main Feature: Excessive emotionality and attention-seeking
behavior.
•Example: "OMG, hindi niyo ako napansin? I'm dying.
DYYYYING!"
•Common Behaviors:
•Always wants to be the center of attention
•Rapidly shifting and shallow emotions
•Overly dramatic or theatrical
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic
4. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
("I'm amazing, you're welcome for existing.")
•Main Feature: Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of
empathy, feeling entitled, exploiting others.
•Example:
"Ano? Birthday mo? Dapat party ko pa rin ang highlight."
•Common Behaviors:
•Exaggerated sense of self-importance
•Preoccupied with fantasies of success or power
•Believes they are special and unique
Disorder Key Word Fun Hint
Antisocial Lawless "Bawal? Ano yun?"
Borderline Unstable "Love you-hate you cycle."
Attention-
Histrionic "Drama Queen/King."
seeker
"Mirror, mirror, who's the best?
Narcissistic Self-adoration
Me!"
Quick Comparison:
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
•Characterized by anxious, fearful, and insecure
behavior.
•People in this cluster are often very shy, clingy, or
overly perfectionistic.
•Mnemonic: "C for Cowardly or Cautious!"
Main theme: "Gusto ko pero natatakot ako."
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
•Avoidant: Socially inhibited, fears rejection
•Dependent: Excessive need to be taken care
of
•Obsessive-Compulsive: Preoccupied with
order and control
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
1. Avoidant Personality Disorder ("I want to join... but baka hindi ako
welcome...")
•Main Feature: Extreme social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy,
hypersensitivity to negative evaluation.
•Example: "Gusto ko mag-join ng group pero... baka pagtawanan nila
ako... kaya dito na lang ako sa gilid."
•Common Behaviors:
•Avoids social activities out of fear of criticism or rejection
•Low self-esteem
•Reluctant to take personal risks
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
2. Dependent Personality Disorder ("Ikaw na magdesisyon para
sa'kin...")
•Main Feature: Excessive need to be taken care of, leading to
submissive and clinging behavior.
•Example: "Hindi ko alam anong kakainin ko... ikaw na lang pumili,
please!"
•Common Behaviors:
•Difficulty making everyday decisions without advice/reassurance
•Needs others to assume responsibility for major areas of life
•Urgently seeks another relationship when one ends
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
•Main Feature:
Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control — at the
expense of flexibility and efficiency.
•Example: "Hindi tayo aalis hanggang lahat ng papel ay pantay-pantay!"
•Common Behaviors:
•Preoccupied with rules, lists, and details
•Perfectionism that interferes with task completion
•Stubbornness, rigidity
Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
Important Note:
OCPD ≠ OCD
(OCPD is about personality; OCD is about
obsessions and compulsions!)
Quick Comparison:
Disorder Key Word Fun Hint
Fear of "Gusto sumama, takot
Avoidant
Rejection lang."
Dependent Clingy "Decide for me, please!"
"Bawal magulo ang
OCPD Perfectionist
listahan!"
Nursing Management
•Build Trust: Establish a therapeutic
nurse-patient relationship.
•Set Boundaries: Especially important
with manipulative behaviors (e.g.,
Cluster B).
Nursing Management
•Encourage Expression: Let patients
verbalize feelings in safe ways.
•Teach Coping Skills: Stress
management, emotional regulation.
Nursing Management
•Promote Self-Reflection: Help them
gain insight into their behaviors.
•Coordinate Care: Collaborate with a
multidisciplinary team.
Treatment Options
•Psychotherapy:
•Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
•Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) — especially for Borderline
PD
•Medications: (for symptom control)
•Antidepressants (for mood instability)
•Antipsychotics (for cognitive-perceptual disturbances)
•Anxiolytics (for severe anxiety)
•Group Therapy:
•Encourages peer support and modeling healthy social skills.
Quick Mnemonic for Clusters
•Cluster A: 'Awkward'
•Cluster B: 'Big Drama'
•Cluster C: 'Cowardly'