Clusters A, B and C (see DSM and Personality Disorders) (Collection: Mental Health )

The DSM-IV divides the personality disorder diagnoses into three groupings or clusters based on their having characteristics in common. Cluster A includes Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal personality disorders which are linked together based on their shared mild-psychosis symptom presentations. Cluster B includes Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic personality disorders, grouped together based on their shared 'dramatic and erratic' characteristics. Cluster C includes Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive personality disorders, grouped together based on their shared anxious-avoidant qualities. Note that at this time (1994-2000) these clusterings are based on superficial symptom similarities only and not on any deep genetic or structural theoretical framework.

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