Personality

Disorders

R

achel Reiland wrote a memoir called Get Me Out

of Here, about living with a personality disorder. In

the opening of the book, Reiland remembers Cindy, the

golden-haired grade-school classmate who was their teach-

er’s favorite. At the end of a painting class, Cindy’s painting

was beautiful, with distinctive trees. Unfortunately, Rachel’s

painting looked like a “putrid blob.” Rachel then recounts:

I seethed with jealousy as Mrs. Schwarzheuser showered Cindy with

compliments. Suddenly, rage overwhelmed me. I seized a cup of brown

paint and dumped half of it over my picture. Glaring at Cindy, I leaned

across the table and dumped the other half over her drawing. I felt a

surge of relief. Now Cindy’s picture looked as awful as mine.

“Rachel!” Mrs. Schwarzheuser yelled. “You’ve completely de-

stroyed Cindy’s beautiful trees. Shame on you. You are a horrible little

girl. The paint is everywhere—look at your jeans.”

My blue jeans were soaked with brown paint. They looked ugly. I

looked ugly. Mrs. Schwarzheuser frantically wiped up paint to keep it

from dripping onto the fl oor. Everyone was watching.

I felt my body go numb. My legs, arms, and head were weightless.

Floating. It was the same way I felt when Daddy pulled off his belt

and snapped it. Anticipation of worse things to come—things I had

brought on myself because I was different.

“In all my years, I’ve never seen a child like you. You are the worst

little girl I’ve ever taught. Go sit in the corner, immediately.”

Shame on Rachel. That language I understood. And deserved....

Mrs. Schwarzheuser was right. I was horrible.

(2004, pp. 1–2)

Reiland’s actions toward Cindy that day were troublesome and trou-

bling, but many children have episodes of feeling intensely jealous

and angry toward others and then act out those feelings. Such epi-

sodes don’t necessarily indicate that a child, or the adult he or she

grows up to be, has a disorder.

But some children and teenagers exhibit problems with relation-

ships that persist into adulthood—problems that interfere with an

aspect of daily life, such as work or family life. These problems have

existed for so long that they seem to be a part of who the person is,

a part of his or her personality. Such persistent problems indicate

personality disorders, a category of psychological disorders charac-

terized by a pattern of infl exible and maladaptive thoughts, feelings,

and behaviors that arise across a range of situations and lead to dis-

tress or dysfunction.

567

CHAPTER

13

Chapter Outline

Diagnosing Personality Disorders

What Are Personality Disorders?

Understanding Personality Disorders

in General

Treating Personality Disorders:

General Issues

Odd/Eccentric Personality Disorders

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Understanding Odd/Eccentric

Personality Disorders

Treating Odd/Eccentric

Personality Disorders

Dramatic/Erratic Personality Disorders

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Fearful/Anxious Personality Disorders

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Dependent Personality Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Understanding Fearful/Anxious

Personality Disorders

Treating Fearful/Anxious

Personality Disorders

Follow-up on Rachel Reiland

Personality disorders

A category of psychological disorders

characterized by a pattern of infl exible and

maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

that arise across a range of situations and lead

to distress or dysfunction.

Illustration by Sean Rodwell/Photography by Paul Hampartsoumian/Advocate Art