I feel like a lot of the personality disorder criteria in the DSM-5 focuses on the outward appearance of the disorder rather than what the person with the disorder is actually feeling. Npd and aspd are what I’m thinking of as examples right now, so let’s go over those first. People with any sort of personality disorder, feel free to chime in and add any thoughts you may have on how the DSM-5 represents your disorder.
Npd’s symptoms in the DSM-5 are listed as:
A persistent pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy
An exaggerated, unfounded sense of their own importance and talents (grandiosity)
Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited achievements, influence, power, intelligence, beauty, or perfect love
Belief that they are special and unique and should associate only with people of the highest caliber
A need to be unconditionally admired
Exploitation of others to achieve their own goals
Envy of others and a belief that others envy them
Arrogance and haughtiness
The focus is on how other people might see someone with the disorder rather than what someone with the disorder might feel. As someone with npd, the main symptom of the disorder is lack of self-esteem. Someone with npd very well might experience or do these things BECAUSE of a lack of self-esteem, but I feel like the lack of self-esteem isn’t focused on enough for how much it impacts everything else. Honestly I’d go as far as to say it’s the very root of the disorder (y’know, besides trauma. But the low self-esteem is caused by trauma so, you get what I mean).
Now, I don’t personally have aspd myself, but from what I’ve heard from people with the disorder (people with aspd feel free to chime in), anhedonia is pretty much the biggest symptom? But if you look at the criteria it’s…
A persistent disregard for the rights of others
Disregarding the law, indicated by repeatedly committing acts that are grounds for arrest
Being deceitful, indicated by lying repeatedly, using aliases, or conning others for personal gain or pleasure
Acting impulsively or not planning ahead
Being easily provoked or aggressive, indicated by constantly getting into physical fights or assaulting others
Recklessly disregarding their safety or the safety of others
Consistently acting irresponsibly, indicated by quitting a job with no plans for another one or not paying bills
Not feeling remorse, indicated by indifference to or rationalization of hurting or mistreating others
And again, it’s not like people with aspd CAN’T experience or do these things BECAUSE of their anhedonia, but I really feel like that should be emphasized. Anhedonia isn’t even LISTED as a symptom. But when I listen to people with aspd talk about their experiences, the most commonly talked about symptom is generally feeling extreme boredom constantly, aka anhedonia. Again, people with aspd feel free to correct me and or add any thoughts you may have.
Looking at the criteria now, I see the same sort of issue with stpd (though I see this issue to an extent in the criteria for every personality disorder). I don’t have stpd myself so if you do, feel free to correct me or add anything, but I swear to god if I have to see the word “odd” or “eccentric” or “peculiar” one more fucking time. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!!!!! The definition of those words is going to be different from person to person. It literally feels like they’re saying “I have diagnosed you with ABNORMAL disorder.” Like…please be more specific, I’m begging. What do you mean by ODD? What classifies “odd” behavior?
Anyways, that’s my little rant. I just wanted to see what other pd havers thought about it???
areudirty
baratheonpilled
yousharknotpass
annaxmalina
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
