What is a personality disorder?

PERSONALITY disorders should not be confused with mental illnesses, forensic psychologist Micki Pistorius told The Times.

PERSONALITY disorders should not be confused with mental illnesses, forensic psychologist Micki Pistorius told The Times.

"These disorders are pervasive in people's personalities - where they are inflexible or maladaptive in the patterns [in which] they relate to their environment, other people or themselves."

She said they do not experience themselves as having a problem and therefore do not seek help.

Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters:

ý Odd or eccentric disorders: paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders;

ý Dramatic, emotional or erratic disorders: histrionic, antisocial, borderline and narcissistic personality disorders; and

ý Anxiety disorders: avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

Pistorius said: "The schizotypal disorder may lead the person to have peculiar ideas of reference, odd beliefs and magical thinking. They may suffer from illusions."

Personality disorders are common and go largely undetected.

Pistorius stressed that none of the disorders indicated a predisposition to violence.

''Violence is situational and unpredictable. Just because a person has never been violent does not mean they will not act violently. [But] there is always some sort of predication in their behaviour before the violence occurs, if one knows what to look for."

People with a personality disorder or mental illness appear normal. "They go shopping or mow the lawn, just like anyone else," Pistorius said.