any way. Some experts see depression as a symptom of different types of psychological disorders, while others consider it to be a potentially treatable diagnosis in and of itself. All personality disorders place individuals at a higher risk for depression and alcoholism, and some are also characterized by higher rates of parasuicidal behavior.
Personality disorders in general are grouped into three categories, or clusters, according to their general characteristics. Cluster A, the three odd or eccentric personality disorders, includes those most closely linked to mental illness, especially schizophrenia (Marlowe, 1997, July 19, p. 179). A diagnosis of schizophrenia, "a mental disorder characterized by a gross impairment in the ability to think in logical and rational terms" (Bruno, 1993, p. 264), is more severe than a diagnosis of a Cluster A personality disorder and takes precedence over any of the three diagnoses in designing a program of treatment.
The first is paranoid personality disorder, characterized by a pervasive distrust of others and a tende
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