The ideas and structures of a personality disorder are fairly complex. Personality disorders, like other disorders, are determined through a diagnosis. This is an art of distinguishing a condition or disease from its symptoms or signs. A diagnosis is dominant over a long period of time. Personality disorders are categorized into ten classes. Other classes fall under NOS, meaning "not otherwise specified". When a diagnosis is given, it contains five parts. These parts are called the Multi-Axial Assessment. Part I is clinical, which includes many mental issues. Part II is personality disorder, which includes mental retardation. Part III is medical issues. Part IV is psychological and environmental problems and Part V is "Global GAF". "GAF" stands for Global Assessment Functioning. In this axial assessment, the lower the number is, the less the person is functioning. If the number is higher, the person is functioning better. This basic information gives us a better perspective of personality disorders before we research and learn further. .
Personality disorders contain many general characteristics. People with a personality disorder are impaired in social functioning. They do not interact with people normally the way most of us do. One out of ten adults have a personality disorder, half of which are in treatment. In a diagnosis of a personality disorder, the person's culture must be taken into consideration. The patient must also have a change in thinking over a long period of time. They also function inter-personally, meaning they confide in themselves. This means the patient has a special relationship with him or herself. They also have impulse control, meaning they do things without thinking. .
The first disorder discussed was Paranoid Personality Disorder, which is located in Cluster A. Individuals with this disorder experience deep distress and suspicion of others. They reflect bad intentions and ideas about other people.
