Personality Disorders

A personality disorder, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that differs markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment. Personality disorders are a long-standing and maladaptive pattern of perceiving and responding to other people and to stressful circumstances. Ten personality disorders, grouped into 3 clusters are defined in the DSM-IV-TR. This book provides a comprehensive overview of personality disorders. It supports information on the several types, the symptoms and the causes of personality disorders. Also, the book discusses the nature of the cognitive-behavioral therapy and schema focused therapy and their effective application on the treatment of personality disorders.