Personality Disorders

  • Angela feels cruelly abused. She has so much love to give. Yet people are always disappointing her. She?s constantly being abandoned by friends and lovers who tell her she?s too intense. She just wants to shower them with love--and get the same in return. Is that so much to ask?  
  • Bobby was a tough little kid. He had to be. His father was a violent drunk and liked to come after him. He got even by poisoning his father?s dog. He started boosting cars before he was fifteen. He?s been in and out of jail--since then. He considers himself a sharp guy; he knows how to find the angles.  
  • Jasmine has issued an ultimatum: she has to see someone about her excessive attention to detail or be fired. Jasmine doesn?t understand why her boss is upset. What good would her work product be if it isn?t absolutely, rigorously checked, cross-checked, and every possibility accounted for? Certainly, that's worth missing a few deadlines.  
  • Ken doesn?t trust others; he feels he has a sixth sense about things. He knows what other people are thinking or when something is about to happen. He believes in the paranormal and feels he experiences it in small subtle ways that only he can detect. He doesn?t have any friends and can't really function socially.  
  • Lou thinks everyone in his life is out to use and abuse him. He?s constantly on his guard and believes he has enemies all around him. Lately, he?s become convinced his wife is having an affair and her denials make him all the more certain.  
  • Lucy is the life of the party. And if not, she makes sure she?s the center of attention no matter where she is. People adore her. She?s not embarrassed about how she looks; she flaunts it. And the men who come and go can?t get enough. Or so she believes.  
  • Malcolm just wants to be left alone. He is indifferent to other people. He doesn?t understand their emotional needs, particularly his mother, whom he feels is needy, clingy, and always making dramas. He is flat and affectless in his speech. He has no friends; sex or relationships hold no interest for him.  
  • Rhonda is lost without her husband Cliff. He always knows just what to do. Her world is too fragile without him at the center of it. She would never disagree with him so she lets him make all the decisions. She wouldn?t want to offend him or make him think she doesn?t appreciate everything he does.  
  • Teri has always been shy. She sees herself as socially inept, unappealing, and inferior to others. She can?t get herself to feel comfortable in social situations so she avoids them as much as she can. It?s the same with new situations or activities. Better not to risk them because she?ll just embarrass herself.  
  • Aliyah has worked hard to be a success in nearly every aspect of her life. She has a thriving business and is thrilled with her children, and she even has some pride from her divorces, which she benefitted from financially. She arrives for therapy because what she believes to be a "perfect" existence is starting to show some cracks. Her son is concerned she is not reacting well to the stresses of her life, her daughter has become uncooperative when it comes to Aliyah's suggestions she loses some weight, and she is having problems at work, including a potentially explosive incident with an employee. Aliyah's reality and her perceptions of reality are on full display in this video. Viewers are given an unfiltered look at her therapy session, as she speaks and enacts behaviors that, when observed, provide a better understanding of who she is and how she feels.  
  • Jasmine has come to therapy at the request of her supervisor, who recognized a compulsive need to review and revise every detail of every project, to the point that she has consistently missed deadlines and upset clients. Jasmine's explanation is that she doesn?t see it that way. What good would her work product be if it isn?t absolutely, rigorously completed and cross-checked every possible way. She finds it exhausting, and because of her devotion to work she does not have many friends or a social life. She explains that her one real friend, Gwen, actually makes her feel ill by how she wastes money. Jasmine does not understand why others are not as frugal or detail-oriented as she is, and she is concerned she will continue to pay the price for it. By observing and making note of Jasmine's expressions, mannerisms, and speech, viewers can decipher clues to decide what her diagnosis may be.  
  • Lou has long been distrustful of those around you, believing that even your friends and family are just using you and waiting to betray you. As he grew older, this distrust has grown and he is now constantly guarded. It is affecting his work and is threatening his marriage. As the viewer watches Lou tell his story, his symptoms and behaviors are exposed through his actions and his words. The learner shares the room with Lou, observing his approach to the conversation and looking for clues to his diagnosis.  
  • Malcolm has grown up in privilege and has grown to be inconsiderate and unthinking about the needs and feelings of others. His mother, in particular, has become annoying to him, as he finds her to be needy and clingy. Malcolm just wants to be left alone. As the viewer witnesses the therapy session first-hand, the specifics of Malcolm's behaviors and thoughts become clear, including details like his flat and affectless speech and his lack of interest in sex or personal relationships. The learner is given an opportunity to use these details to detect symptoms and apply them to making a diagnosis.  
  • Ken is considered a bit of a loner, and he has chosen this way of life due to a general distrust of other people. He believes he has an exceptional ability to sense what others are thinking and feeling, and he presents himself as odd to others in how he dresses and speaks. He does not have friends, and the few times he has been on dates, he was incredibly uncomfortable. Recently, he has neglected his relationship with his sister, who was his last real connection with another person, and his "premonitions" have become more frequent and have taken the form of mild hallucinations. As viewers observe Ken's therapy session, they are met with a number of explicit and implicit clues to his potential diagnosis. Details from his speech and behaviors provide clues to what disorder he is struggling with.  
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