In this episode, we discuss how we diagnose personality disorders as licensed professionals in clinical practice. Personality data is often observed as early as the initial contact for treatment. Once treatment begins, we engage in a "meta process" of observing what's going on inside ourselves as professionals, as well as the dynamic in the room. Because of the nuances and complexities of diagnosing personality disorders, psychological testing is an important tool to peel back the layers of the psyche. We end by discussing what psychological testing involves and point listeners to resources if they are interested in an evaluation.

Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:58 Indicators of Personality Dynamics Before Treatment Starts 06:21 The Referral Question and the Alphabet Soup 08:36 Unsuccessful Medication Trials 10:34 First Appointment: Interpersonal Dynamics 15:18 Ruptures in Relationships and Social Difficulties 17:16 The Unspoken Dynamics of Personality Disorders 24:33 Using Psychological Testing to Diagnose Personality Disorders 37:41 Resources and Conclusion

Resources

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/
• https://www.nami.org/
• https://www.questpsych.org/ (Offering Deep Dive Psychological Evaluations In Virginia)

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we discuss four trends we have observed in the post-pandemic world: collective trauma, mental health diagnoses as identity labels, over-identification with neurodivergence, and self-diagnosing. We explore the impact of the pandemic on mental health, including increased anxiety and hostility. We also discuss how mental health diagnoses have become identity labels, providing a sense of validation and belonging. We delve into the over-identification with neurodivergence, particularly autism, and the challenges of diagnosing this condition. Lastly, we address the issue of self-diagnosing and the proliferation of misleading information on social media platforms.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:46 Chapter 1: The Impact of Collective Trauma on Mental Health 10:43 Chapter 2: Mental Health Diagnoses as Identity Labels 18:40 Chapter 3: The Over-Identification with Neurodivergence 27:13 Chapter 4: The Proliferation of Self-Diagnosing and Misinformation 37:16 Conclusion

Articles Referenced:

On Healthcare Workers' Mental Health Symptoms: -https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2023/02/06/phw-violence/

On TikTok Mental Health Misinformation: -https://www.mmm-online.com/home/channel/nearly-84-of-mental-health-videos-on-tiktok-are-misleading-study/ -https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychiatry-on-tiktok-providing-education-to-teens-in-an-ethical-manner -https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-mental-health-self-diagnosis/ -https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-study-information-on-youtube-tiktok-on-did -https://www.salon.com/2022/04/09/why-teens-are-self-diagnosing-on-tiktok/

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we provide an overview of the Enneagram personality typology as a growth tool instead of a personality "box" or label. We discuss our personal journeys with the Enneagram, our typologies, and how we use this non-diagnostic tool in clinical practice. By exploring the different centers of intelligence (body, head, and heart) and the three types within each center, we highlight the key characteristics and tendencies of each of the 9 types, including their strengths and challenges.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to the Enneagram 01:00 - Our Enneagram Journeys 07:30 - Enneagram as a Growth Tool, Not a Box 10:15 - Enneagram Overview 12:02 - The Heart Center: Type 2s 15:48 - The Heart Center: Type 3s 19:47 - The Heart Center: Type 4s 25:04 - The Head Center: Type 5s 30:32 - The Head Center: Type 6s 34:08 - The Head Center: Type 7s 36:43 - The Body Center: Type 8s 41:36 - The Body Center: Type 9s 44:20 - The Body Center: Type 1s 48:36 - The One - Five Dynamic of Doc Bok and Doc Fish

A Few of Our Favorite Enneagram resources: * https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/ * https://sleepingatlast.podbean.com/ * https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-enneagram-an-introduction/ (Richard Rohr)

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we discuss personality darkness and specifically focus on personalities that are prone to violence and extreme behavior. We also discuss two important research studies, the Milgram study and the Stanford prison experiment, that shed light on the capacity for humans to engage in harmful acts. We then delve into the different personality types within Cluster A (schizoid, schizotypal, and paranoid); Cluster B (borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic); and Cluster C (avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive) and discuss their risk levels for violence and murder. In this conversation, we also explore sadistic personalities, a category not included in the DSM, but included in multiple other personality theories. We highlight the characteristics and behaviors associated with each type and discuss the potential for violence and destructive behavior. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding these personalities and their potential risks in order to promote awareness and better understanding of human behavior.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Personality Darkness and Violence 02:43 The Influence of Authority: Milgram’s Study 05:03 The Influence of Situational Factors: Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

Cluster A: 08:01 Schizoid 10:18 Schizotypal 12:27 Paranoid - 18:45 Paranoid Subtypes: Querulously, Insular, Malignant

Cluster B: 23:01 Borderline 27:05 Histrionic 28:58 Narcissistic - 31:26 Narcissistic Subtypes: Elitist, Exploitative, Unprincipled 35:00 Antisocial - 37:17 Antisocial Subtypes: Reputation-Defending and Malevolent

41:44 Sadistic Personalities

Cluster C: 46:22 Avoidant 47:43 Dependent 50:32 Obsessive-Compulsive Personality

55:54 Summary and Closing

In this episode of the Personality Couch, we discuss personality flavors and typologies from a psychodynamic lens, using ice cream as our metaphor. Unique to the psychodynamic perspective is the multi-dimensional way it captures personality. We explore psychodynamic’s three personality axes throughout the episode: the severity axis (ranging from personality style to disorder level); the organizational axis (representing movement and disintegration within personality structures); and the character axis (representing distinct personality names and characteristics). We further explore psychopathic, schizoid, depressive and manic, self-defeating, borderline/cyclophrenic, and dissociative personality structures within this framework. A note to our audience: this is a complex and deep topic, and we recommend tuning in to episodes 04 and 05 first: Personality Disorders as Ice Cream Flavors and Millon’s Personality Types (as Ice Cream flavors) first before diving in. Alternatively, you can check out our blogs with visual aides here to guide you: https://www.personalitycouch.com/blog/psychodynamic-personality-classification-as-ice-cream/

00:00 Introduction to Psychodynamic Tradition 01:46 The Multidimensional Approach to Personality 02:45 The Severity Axis: From Style to Disorder 05:17 The Organizational Axis: State Change in Personality 6:46 Neurotic as Freezer Burned Ice Cream 7:03 Psychotic as Melted Ice Cream 7:23 Borderline as Melting Ice Cream 10:40 The Character Axis: Personality Categories 11:05 Psychopathic (Antisocial) Personality 11:40 Schizoid Personality 17:36 Self-Defeating (Masochistic) Personality 18:50 Manic and Depressive Personality 20:58 Cyclophrenic/Borderline Personality 24:39 The Complexities of the Name “Borderline” 26:59 Introjective and Anaclitic Depressive Personality 29:32 Quiet Borderline 31:55 Dissociative Personality 36:32 Summary

In this episode, we continue discussing personality typologies, focusing on Dr. Theodore Millon's classifications. We explore six unique types in terms of their characteristics, behaviors, and potential co-occurring disorders. Speculating on what ice cream flavor each type would be, we use creative and humorous descriptions to bring levity to an otherwise complex topic!

Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Melancholic Personality: The Gloomy Type 07:02 - Turbulent Personality: The Energetic Type 17:09 - Sadistic Personality: The Pain Inflicting Type 21:56 - Masochistic Personality: The Willing Victim Type 27:20 - Negativistic Personality: The Grouchy and Skeptical Type 32:28 - Compulsive Personality: The Perfectionistic Type 41:14 - Conclusion

In this episode, we discuss the different types of personality disorders and compare them to flavors of ice cream. We explore the personality disorders that are always in season and the ones that come and go depending on cultural and social factors. Highlighting the “ingredients” that make up each disorder and how they manifest, we explore the DSM-5-TR classifications of: Cluster A (odd or eccentric), Cluster B (dramatic or erratic), and Cluster C (anxious or fearful). If you want to jump to a specific cluster, just use one of the timestamps/chapters below. If you’re new to personality disorders, we recommend starting at timestamp 11:17 and returning to the beginning after a more thorough explanation of each disorder.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro/Overview of the Personality Flavors 02:13 - Personality Flavors Always in Season 03:12 - Pandemic Personality Flavors 05:14 - Mid Pandemic Personality Flavors 06:18 - End of Pandemic Personality Flavors 07:15 - Personality Flavors not often in Season 11:17 - DSM Clusters ABC Overview

Cluster A 11:48 - Cluster A 12:14 - Cluster A: Paranoid PD 14:55 - Cluster A: Schizotypal PD 19:21 - Cluster A: Schizoid PD

Cluster B 22:33 - Cluster B 23:10 - Cluster B: Antisocial PD 27:39 - Cluster B: Borderline PD 29:41 - Cluster B: Histrionic PD 31:51 - Cluster B: Narcissistic PD 32:43 - Antisocial PD vs Narcissistic PD

Cluster C 36:20 - Cluster C 36:40 - Cluster C: Avoidant PD 37:34 - Schizoid PD vs Avoidant PD 38:08 - Borderline PD vs Avoidant PD 39:16 - Cluster C: Dependent PD 41:38 - Cluster C: OCPD 44:27 - Conclusion

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we discuss how to spot a personality disorder. We start with the definition of a personality disorder according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM), which includes enduring patterns of behavior that deviate from cultural expectations and cause distress/impairment. We also introduce the concept of the personality drama triangle, where individuals can take on different roles as a rescuer, persecutor, or victim. We discuss how to spot personality disorders through observations of thinking patterns, moods, relationships, and impulsivity. We emphasize the importance of trusting your intuition and paying attention to your body's reactions when interacting with someone who may have a personality disorder.

Chapters

Introduction 00:00 - Introduction 01:40 - The DSM definition of Personality Disorders

How Personality Disorders Show Up 03:41 - How Personality Disorders Show Up in Thinking 05:07 - The Drama Triangle in Personality Disorders 07:09 - How Personality Disorders Show Up in Moods

Spotting Personality Disorders 09:22 - Trusting your Gut, Intuition, and Body 13:50 - Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire 16:45 - The Axis II Hook and “Oil Spills”

Disconnecting From Personality Disorder Dynamics 31:05 - Stop Drop and Roll Out of the Drama 33:53 - The Power of Naming a Personality Disorder

Conclusions 41:02 - Empathy for Personality Disorders 45:54 - Conclusion