The Textbook of Personality Disorders

Ever dealt with a kid who only ate grilled cheese? Or a kid who claimed he was allergic to all cheeses except chemically processed American cheese, and got mad at you when you insisted that his “allergy” didn’t make sense? What about that kid who was always grabbing stuff and throwing it into the other kids’ faces? I’m sure you’ve met someone whose life story impressed you, and then you found out they were lying about it. I certainly had that experience, and when I confronted her, she didn’t care, she just moved on to another sucker who’d be her captive audience. There are all people with personality disorders.

The Textbook of Personality Disorders makes clear that these are not “mental” disorders. There are no hallucinations or hearing weird voices. It’s all about motivation, cognition, and avoidance of certain things. In chapter one, we read about a man who misinterprets what people say, holds grudges, and feels slights more easily than others. We also read about narcissism, in particular a case where a person is deluded as to what he’ll accomplish, holding unrealistic goals.

This book also makes clear that a lot of the disorders are “made” and not “born.” They’re often the result of nurture rather than nature, the product of overstimulation in infancy. ASPD, for instance, can generate a total lack of regard for others, occasionally leading to violent behavior. The therapies outlined in this book focus on things like CBT, or Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It stresses coping skills, not cures.

But there’s one thing absent from this book, and that is the ways in which these disorders effect the individuals family and/or school environment. I’ve seen a lot of people with extreme phobias or narcissism who are enabled by their families. It would be a welcome change to see some advice on how the families can deal with the individual so that their behavior doesn’t create a hardship.