Personality Disorders and Gender Bias

Personality disorders are psychiatric disorders outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). According to the DSM, personality disorders are defined as having a maladaptive, inflexible pattern of behavior, cognition, and intrapsychic experience, causing significant distress or disability and impairment in self- and interpersonal functioning. While there have been variations of the types of personality disorders throughout the different revisions of the DSM, the DSM-5 lists 10 distinct personality disorders, grouped into three clusters. Cluster A is characterized by odd, bizarre, and eccentric traits; diagnoses include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. Cluster B is characterized by dramatic or erratic traits; diagnoses include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality ...