Personality Disorders

Posted by Tami Port

I have just published the first PD interview with Dr. Duane Dobbert. In this first article, Dr. Dobbert describes some of the similarities between Antisocial and Narcissistic PD. We are very fortunate to have him share his professional insight with us. He has a walth of information regarding Cluster B personality Disorders.



In addition to experience as a clinician, researcher and expert witness, Dr. Dobbert has authored the training program, School Bus Drivers: The 1st Line of Defense Against Sexual Predators, and has educated thousands of School Bus Drivers through nationwide presentations and DVD training videos. He has also authored two PD books and is currently working on a third.



See Dr. Dobbert's website for additional information.

Posted by Tami Port

Dr. Duane L. Dobbert is a 38 year veteran of forensic psychology, and currently a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and Capella University. But he’s not one to dwell in an ivory tower.

In addition to experience as a clinician, researcher and expert witness, Dr. Dobbert has authored the training program, School Bus Drivers: The 1st Line of Defense Against Sexual Predator, educating thousands of School Bus Drivers through nationwide presentations and DVD training videos. He has also authored two books and is currently working on a third.

In his first book, “Halting the Sexual Predators among Us: Preventing Attack, Rape, and Lust Homicide," Dr. Dobbert examines disorders ranging from exhibitionism to pedophilia, and presents scenarios that illustrate the behaviors shown by people preparing to act on such disordered thinking.

I have enjoyed and reviewed his second book, "Understanding Personality Disorders," a new release of 2007, published by Pager.

So keep your eyes open for this informative series of interviews with Dr. Dobbert, in which we'll explore…

• the similarities and differences between narcissism and psychopath
• how you can recognize and protect yourself from narcissist and psychopaths
• what predators are and how parents can protect their children

…and more.

See Dr. Dobbert's website for additional information.

Posted by Tami Port

Psychopathy has been one of my primary areas of interest for as long as I have been fascinated by abnormal psychology.

The more I think about the common characteristics of Narcissistic PD and Antisocial PD, I can’t help wondering if they just represent degrees of severity along the same dimension of personality. There are about as many opinions on this matter as there are experts in psychopathology.

Psychopaths of Everyday Life

I am currently reading, and will soon be reviewing, Dr. Martin Kantor’s most recent book “The Psychopathy of Everyday Life.” In the book, Kantor discusses the ‘everyday psychopath,’ similar to what Robert Hare calls the ‘subcriminal psychopath.’ Kantor asserts that there are milder forms of psychopathy which are much more common than the highly sensationalized extreme cases that we occasionally see spotlighted in the media. Other experts consider psychopathy to be part of the continuum of narcissism, and there are those who see narcissism and antisocial personality as clearly separate conditions.

New Article Series on Narcissism & Psychopthy

I have recently published an article series exploring the relationship of psychopathic and narcissistic behavior, all of which are summarized and can be accessed through the article Psychopathy & Narcissism.

New Survey

It is also time for a new survey. So far the surveys haven’t inspired much participation. The new one will run through the end of November, its topic: The Relationship between Narcissism and Psychopathy. I hope this survey might catch your attention and I urge you to vote.

Posted by Tami Port

One of the tasks I enjoy as Feature Writer for PDs is examining and summarizing the new studies that provide insight into PDs. As an adjunct professor I have convenient access to some of the best tools for searching academic publications and am always vigilant for new items that may be of interest to my readers.

New PD Research

October 16, 2007

Metabolism in the BPD Brain

and

Anatomy of the BPD Brain

Two new Suite101 articles summarize a study which was published in the May 2007 issue of Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. The research is an academic literature review of what we currently know about brain anatomy and physiology of BPD patients.

October 11, 2007

The Antisocial Brain and Violence

A recent study in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that frontal lobe abnormalities of those with APD may contribute to violent behavior.

Research on Antisocial PD

This new Suite101 article contains summaries and quick links to some of the latest research on Antisocial PD and Psychopathy.

October 6, 2007

Medication, Self-Destruction and PDs

What do we know about the effectiveness of drug therapies used in the treatment PD suicidal behavior? This Suite101article summarizes a literature review recently published by Dr. Robert Cardish, supervisory faculty member at Mount Sinai Psychotherapy Institute.

Subscribe to Article Feeds and Be In the Know

If you are interested in keeping up on cutting-edge PD research, subscribe by clicking on the “How to Subscribe to Feeds” icon that appears on every PD article and on the PD Topic homepage and be alerted when new information is released. This will allow you to be one of the first to know many of the important advances that never make it into mainstream media coverage.

Posted by Tami Port

PD Discussions Now More Organized

I’ve gone through the extensive list of PD discussions on the site. I’ve renamed some with titles that are more descriptive of the discussion content and eliminated others; not censorship, but just trashing old one-entry topics that were either announcements of old Polls or old Articles. Take a look at the cleaned up list, and feel free to start or join newer discussion or even reignite any of the older discussion. When an old discussion gets a new entry, it is resurrected and goes toward the top of the list, with the potential to again become a hot topic.

See New Book Review!

I have also just completed a review of the new book by Dr. Duane Dobbert, Understanding Personality Disorders: An Introduction. Click on the link in the previous sentence and see if it sounds like a good read to you.

Posted by Tami Port

At this point, the PD Suite101 site offers basic information on the 10 psychological disorders of personality as well as some recent research on PDs.



I plan to continue monitoring the psych scientific journals to bring you updates on the latest research. Book reviews are the next new feature you will soon see among the Suite101 Personality Disorder offerings.



Keep your eye out for upcoming Suite101 review articles of the following new psychology-related books:

1. Understanding Personality Disorders: An Introduction, by Duane Dobbert.
2. Psychopathy of Everyday Life: How Antisocial Personality Disorder Affects All of Us, by Martin Kantor, M. D.
3. The Bipolar Workbook: Tools for Controlling Your Mood Swings, by Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD.
4. Talking Back to OCD: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say “No Way” – and Parents Say “Way to Go,” by John March, MD.
5. The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia, by Kim Mueser, PhD and Susan Gingerich, MSW.

If there are specific books you are curious about, just let me know and I will try to complete a review in a reasonable amount of time.

Posted by Tami Port

Well, I’ve completed a series of Suite101 articles with basic information relating to each Personality Disorder as well as organizing links to various article series listed on the PD homepage. It should now be easier for you to quickly access PD pieces that are of particular interest to you.



In the latest PD article, Psychopathy, Sociopathy and APD, I’ve attempted to disentangle these terms so often used interchangeably to describe the Antisocial Personality. The PD thought leaders don’t even agree on the precise definitions, but I’ve presented their opinions in hopes of clarifying the murky semantics surrounding antisocial behavior.



The next issue that’s on my mind is the genetic roots of psychopathy. You can explore a summary of one recent study in the article Early Signs of Psychopathy, and before the end of the week I promise to post another synopsis of a not as recent, but equally interesting, twin study of psychopathic tendencies.



As someone educated in the sciences, I think that this type of research is invaluable in helping us understand the roots of antisocial behavior. They do, however, stir up many Orwellian questions and concerns. And although I am thinking in unlikely extremes, scientific research into childhood traits indicative of future psychopathy can’t help but bring to (my) mind a future with tests and subsequent labels for toddlers that “look suspicious.”



I joke, but perhaps you are wondering the same thing? Sounds like a future PD discussion topic that I’ll soon be posting, that is if you don’t beat me to it.

Posted by Tami Port

Hello! My name is Tami Port and I recently moved into the position of Featured Writer for Personality Disorders at Suite101.

My Vision for Suite101 PD

The task of laying a foundation of basic information on PDs is nearly completed. By the end of the week, there will be an article on each PD type, cluster, as well as a couple of PD overviews. I also plan to cover closely related topics, such as co-occurring disorders and stalking behavior.

I would like Suite101 PD to be a go-to source for basic information. Here are some quick links so you can see what is currently covered:

Cluster A PDs (Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal)

Cluster B PDs (Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic)

Cluster C PDs (Obsessive-Compulsive, Avoidant, Dependent)

Latest Research on PDs

As a college prof, I have easy access to scientific journals and experience interpreting research results. I consider one of my most important tasks to be presenting you with new PD research findings.

New research articles include:

Early Signs of Psychopathy

Borderline Personality Treatment

Personality Disorders and PPMD

PD Blog, Discussions and Polls

Every week I will post a new blog to let you know what's new in the world of personality disorders. I also plan to stay involved in the ongoing PD discussions as well as create new discussion topics.

I will post a monthly poll that, I hope, will help me learn more about your perspective on PDs. The current blog, discussions and poll are displayed on the PD home page.

What's on Your Mind?

I invite you to communicate with me through the discussions or my link on the PD homepage. Let me know which topics you would like to see covered. I am excited to be a part of this online community and look forward to our exploration of PDs.

Posted by Tami Port

I recently came across a new study published in the June 2007 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry comparing the effectiveness of three different therapies that are commonly used to treat Borderline Patients: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), and Dynamic Supportive Treatment.

All of these approaches were shown to have a significant effect in reducing symptoms commonly associated with BPD. However, there were differences in the specific borderline traits most improved by each therapeutic approach and, overall, it appeared that TFP was generally the most effective.

If you are not familiar with DBT or TFP, I have recently written articles summarizing each of these therapies as well as an overview of borderline treatment and a summary of the Jun research in the AJP.

Feel free to start a discussion on any of these articles. I’d welcome the opportunity to hear your perspectives on these therapies, particularly if you’ve had personal experience with them.

Posted by Sam Vaknin

Notes of first therapy session with Dale G., male, 46, diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)

Dale's first enquiry is whether I am in any way associated either with the government or with his former employer. He doesn't seem reassured by my negative response. He eyes me skeptically and insists that I inform him if things change and I do become entangled with his persecutors. Why do I treat him pro bono? He suspects some ulterior motives behind my altruism and inexplicable generosity. I explain to him that I donate 25 hours a month to the community. "It's good for your image, gives you access to local bigwigs, I bet." - he retorts, accusingly. He refuses to allow me to tape record our conversation.

I set some boundaries by reminding him that the therapy session is about him, not me. He nods sagely: it's all part of an intricate scheme to "subdue" him and place him "under firm control". Why would "they"want to do that? Because he knows too much, having exposed fraud, lies,and deceit in the highest places. He has done all this from his position as a sanitary worker at the municipality? - I enquire. He is visibly offended: "There are more secrets in people's trash than in the CIA!" - he exclaims - "You think that your academic degree makes you more clever than I am or somehow superior to me?"

I remind him that therapy was more or less forced on him by his long-suffering wife. Is she one of "them"? He sniggers. Well? "Yes," - he rages - "they got to her, too. She used to be on my side." His phones are tapped, his mail intercepted and inspected, there was a mysterious fire in his apartment only days after he complained against a senior law enforcement officer. Wasn't it the antiquated television set that burst into flames? "If you care to believe such nonsense." - he eyes me with pity.

When was the last time he went out with friends? He has to think hard to come up with an answer: "Four years ago." Why so long? Is he a recluse by nature? Not at all, he is actually gregarious. So, why the social isolation? Part of his defense.You never know when something you have said in company will be used against you. His so-called friends have been asking him too many intrusive questions lately. They insisted on meeting in new venues at odd times and he got suspicious.

So, what is he doing all alone at home? He laughs bitterly: "Won't they love to know my next moves!" He isn't going to give them the pleasure of evincing his strategy. All he is willing to say is that "they" will pay dearly for having underestimated him and for having turned his life "into a long nightmare in hell". Who are "they"? His superiors at the sanitary department. They reassigned him to a dangerous part of town, working night shifts, effectively demoting him from team foreman to "common janitor". He will never forgive them. But wasn't this a temporary arrangement owing to manpower shortages? "That's what they said at the time"- he admits reluctantly.

At the end of the session he insists on inspecting my phone jacks and the under-surfaces of my desk. "You can never be too careful." - he half apologizes.