Ep 03: How to Spot a Personality Disorder

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we discuss how to spot a personality disorder. We explore the definition of a personality disorder according to the DSM, which includes enduring patterns of behavior that deviate from cultural expectations and cause distress or impairment. We also introduce the concept of the drama triangle, where individuals can take on different roles such as rescuer, perpetrator, 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

• 00:00 - Introduction: Not fitting in with the herd
• 01:42 - What are Personality Disorders in the DSM?
• 03:41 - Where do Personality Disorders show up?
• 05:09 - The Drama Triangle in Personality Disorders
• 09:22 - Using Intuition to spot a Personality Disorder
• 11:41 - The body detects personality cues
• 13:50 - How we know we’re working with a Personality Disorder
• 16:45 - The Axis II hook and gut responses
• 18:52 - Personality Disorders are “Smoky”
• 20:27 - Personality is like an oil spill
• 23:34 - Personality Disorders and Projection
• 31:05 - Stop Drop and Roll with Drama
• 33:41 - The power of naming a Personality Disorder
• 41:02 - Empathy for PDS
• 43:52 - Why PD’s “hook you”
• 45:54 - Conclusion