What Are Cluster B Personality Disorders? (2024)

Cluster B disorders are a collection of personality disorders that affect how people behave. People with cluster B personality disorders are more likely to behave dramatically and erratically. They may seem like they need much more or much less attention than other people.

Here’s what you need to know about cluster B disorders.

What Are Personality Disorders?

A personality disorder is a mental disorder that’s caused by an unhealthy pattern of thought and behavior. People with personality disorders often struggle to interact with the world. Their disorder makes it hard for them to understand social situations and relationships.

Clusters A and C. There are several “clusters” of personality disorders. Each cluster has different symptoms in common. Cluster A disorders are defined by “odd” thinking and behaviors like paranoia or a lack of emotional responses. Cluster C disorders are defined by anxious thoughts and behavior.

Cluster B. Cluster B disorders involve unpredictable, dramatic, or intensely emotional responses to things. The four main cluster B disorders are:

  • ‌Antisocial
  • ‌Borderline
  • ‌Histrionic
  • ‌Narcissistic

Each of these disorders has a specific pattern of behavior. People with these disorders often feel like they need attention constantly. It’s also common for them to occasionally show symptoms of at least one other personality disorder.

Not everyone who has strong emotional responses or dramatic behavior has a cluster B disorder. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) states that a pattern of behavior is only a personality disorder if it bothers the person or causes them to struggle in many normal situations.

Some people with cluster B disorders may not realize that their behavior is the cause of their unhappiness. Cluster B disorders can be treated with therapy and occasionally with medication.

But the person in treatment needs to understand why they are being treated for it to work. Certain people with cluster B disorders avoid treatment because they don’t think anything is wrong with their behavior.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

Antisocial meaning. “Antisocial” doesn’t mean that people with this disorder avoid talking to others. Instead, it describes how they often break social and legal rules to get what they want. They are against society, or “antisocial”.

If you have antisocial personality disorder, you tend to ignore other people’s feelings and authority. You usually focus on yourself and your own goals without caring about anyone else.

Other symptoms of antisocial personality disorder include:

  • ‌Aggressiveness
  • ‌Impulsiveness
  • ‌Lack of remorse
  • ‌Frequent problems with the law
  • ‌Disregard for safety
  • ‌Persistent lying
  • Consistent irresponsible behavior

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

People with borderline personality disorder have a weak sense of self-worth. They rely on other people in their lives to help them feel stable. They often have inconsistent moods that flip from very positive to very negative without a clear cause.

BPD and self-worth. With BPD, you place your self-worth in your relationships. You may manipulate other people to keep them from leaving. This condition often leads you to have “favorite people”.

You may idolize your favorite person until they do something wrong. That flips your opinion and you’ll then cut off your former friend.

Other symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

  • Deep fear of loneliness
  • ‌Frequent displays of anger
  • ‌Feelings of emptiness‌
  • Unstable relationships
  • ‌Impulsiveness
  • ‌Black and white thinking
  • ‌Risk-seeking behavior such as gambling or unsafe sex
  • ‌Suicidal threats

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

People with histrionic personality disorder want attention all the time and actively seek it out. With this disorder, they’ll usually be very aware of how they look all the time. They behave in exaggerated ways and may seem “over-the-top”.

Overreacting. If you have HPD, you may overreact to small events. You might appear to be fine one moment and then burst into tears when you’re told you can’t do something. You may also have trouble maintaining relationships because of how you act.

Other symptoms of histrionic personality disorder include:

  • ‌Strong opinions without actual knowledge
  • ‌Dramatic behavior
  • ‌A constant need for attention
  • ‌Shallow emotions that change quickly
  • ‌Suggestibility

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

People with narcissistic personality disorder generally believe that they are better than others. They don’t simply have high self-esteem, but actively believe that they are more important than other people and should be treated that way. Many people with this disorder react badly to criticism or events they dislike.

Manipulation. If you have NPD, you’re more likely to try to take advantage of people by manipulating them. You may have an overly emotional response if you don’t receive the attention you feel you deserve. You may also overreact to situations to keep people focused on you.

Other symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder include:

  • ‌Arrogance
  • ‌Envy
  • ‌Expectation for praise
  • ‌Expectation of favors
  • ‌Fantasies of power or success
  • ‌No acknowledgment of others’ successes
What Are Cluster B Personality Disorders? (2024)

FAQs

What Are Cluster B Personality Disorders? ›

Cluster B disorders are marked by inappropriate, volatile emotionality and often unpredictable behavior. The disorders in Cluster B are antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.

What are the B cluster personality disorders? ›

Cluster B: A person with this type has difficulties regulating their emotions and behavior. Others may consider their behavior dramatic, emotional, or erratic. There are four cluster B disorders: antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.

Which of the following best describes cluster B personality disorders? ›

Cluster B personality disorders are described as the dramatic, emotional, or erratic cluster and consists of antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.

Which of the following is a Cluster B personality disorder quizlet? ›

Cluster B personality disorders comprise a group of four disorders characterized by dramatic and erratic behavior. These disorders include Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD).

What is Cluster B personality disorder healthline? ›

Cluster B: Emotional and impulsive

People with antisocial personality disorder tend to manipulate or treat others without expressing remorse for their actions. They may engage in dishonest behavior like lying and stealing, and they may be prone to heavy alcohol and drug use.

Are cluster B personality disorders genetic? ›

This suggests that brain development may also contribute to these disorders. Research has found a significant link between cluster B personality disorders and family history as well. Having a parent or sibling with a personality disorder increases your risk for developing the disorder.

What is Cluster B abuse? ›

The Relationship Destroyers – Cluster B. In considering individuals who create the most damage to social and personal relationships, the abusers, manipulators, “players”, controllers, and losers are found in Cluster B.

What are the cluster A personality disorders described as? ›

Cluster A disorders are characterized by odd or eccentric behaviors and thoughts, including paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.

What are cluster B manipulation tactics? ›

Manipulative tendencies may derive from cluster B personality disorders such as narcissistic, antisocial personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder (usually by feigning distress or using flattery, gaslighting, emotional blackmail or love-bombing or seduction to obtain affection or to avoid abandonment).

What is the hardest mental illness to live with? ›

What Is the Hardest Mental Illness to Live With?
  • Schizophrenia.
  • Severe Bipolar Disorder.
  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
  • Major Depression and Treatment-Resistant Depression.
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Eating Disorders.
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • So, What is the hardest mental illness to live with?
Dec 29, 2023

Is paranoid personality disorder a Cluster B? ›

People with paranoid personality disorder often don't think their behavior and way of thinking are problematic. PPD is one of a group of conditions called Cluster A, or eccentric personality disorders. People with these disorders have unusual and eccentric thinking or behavior.

Is schizophrenia a Cluster B? ›

Cluster B personality traits have been detected in persons with schizophrenia, at a rate exceeding that of the general population. Unclear, however, is how to account for such high rates of Cluster B traits.

Which of the following distinguishes narcissistic personality disorder from the other Cluster B disorders? ›

Grandiosity is the most useful feature for distinguishing Narcissistic Personality Disorder from the other Cluster B Personality Disorders (Histrionic, Antisocial, and Borderline), whose interactive styles are respectively coquettish, callous, and needy.

What are cluster B disorders examples? ›

They include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.

What mental illness makes you lie for attention? ›

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a psychological condition that causes someone to engage in attention-seeking behavior. Some aspects of this condition may cause a person to lie to manipulate others.

What is an individual with a cluster B disorder often seen as? ›

What are the most common types of personality disorders?
SubtypeClassification
Cluster A:odd/eccentric
Cluster B:dramatic/erratic
Cluster C:anxious/inhibited

Is ADHD Cluster B? ›

Background: Attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is associated with borderline personality characteristics or cluster B (emotional instability), but in certain populations, such as medical students, it might be associated with cluster C traits (perfectionism, dependency, anxiety).

What are cluster C personality traits? ›

Cluster C personality disorders are three conditions that share common features like fearfulness and anxiousness. In other words, besides other specific symptoms, people living with avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders tend to experience strong feelings related to: anxiety.

What is the hardest personality disorder to deal with? ›

Borderline personality disorder historically has been viewed as challenging to treat.

What are Cluster B moms? ›

The Cluster B disordered parent is incapable of love and sees the children as possessions. This individual may appear perfectly normal and often, they are so skilled at impression management that they can even mislead and charm mental health professionals.

References

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