Personality Disorders – Mnemonic

If you are having a hard time remembering the clusters and which disorder falls into which cluster, this mnemonic will be helpful.

Three clusters: A, B and C; remember as WWW – Weird, Wild and Worried, respectively.

personality disorders

Cluster A – Weird (Genetic association with Schizophrenia)

  1. Accusatory: Paranoid (Suspicious)
  2. Aloof: Schizoid (Voluntary social withdrawal)
  3. Awkward: Schizotypal (Schizoid + Magical thinking)

Cluster B – Wild (Genetic association with mood disorders and substance abuse)

  1. Bad: Antisocial (>/=18 years with a history of Conduct Disorder, Sociopath and Manipulative)
  2. Borderline: Borderline (Unstable and afraid of abandonment)
  3. flamBoyant: Histrionic (Attention-seeking and excessive emotionality)
  4. Best: Narcisstic (Grandiosity, reacts to criticism)

Cluster C – Worried (Genetic association with Anxiety disorders)

  1. Cowardly: Avoidant (Seeks social relationship but avoids social situation; hypersensitive to rejection)
  2. Compulsive: Obsessive-compulsive (Inflexible but inefficient)
    • Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: Ego-syntonic (happy with how they are)
    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Ego-dystoni (wishes they could stop)
  3. Clingy: Dependent (Submissive)


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