According to the American Psychiatric Association, personality disorders are deviated patterns of inner experience and behavior. Many situations make these patterns inflexible and omnipresent.
These patterns originate in early adulthood. When they cause extreme distress in personal, social or occupational situations they are diagnosed as personality disorders.
When people have this disorder they deal with their problems in improper and immature ways. In fact, they do not think that they are acting wrong, they do not pretend to change the way they behave.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) distinguished 11 personality disorders: Narcissistic Disorder, Antisocial Disorder, Histrionic Disorder, Avoidant Disorder, Schizoid Disorder, Paranoid Disorder, Schizotypal Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Disorder and Dependent Disorder.
Dr. Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited recognized certain characteristics that people with personality disorders share.
Vaknin concluded that they have self centered thoughts and attitudes. They blame everyone else but themselves for their problems and manipulate others with their behavior.
He also realized that they are vulnerable to suffer mental disorders like panic attacks. They have in common their sadness, depression and anxiety disorders.
They certainly are blinded with their unique distortional view of reality. They just do not want to admit how objectionable, unacceptable, disagreeable and self-destructive their behaviors are.
Dr. Vaknin affirms that these people are socially maladaptive. They try to influence the external by changing it to their convenience so that their unique needs can be fulfilled.
This author also acknowledged that only brief psychotic episodes of the Borderline Disorder include thought disorders like delusions and hallucinations.