Can someone develop a personality disorder after birth or are they only born with em?

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Our nursing school requires us to put any problems we have with test questions into writing in order to receive any points back. Well before doing that my friend and I discussed the question with her.

The question went something along the lines of: "What would you want to assess for in someone with chronic alcohol abuse?"

The correct answer was "nutrition" (which... yeah... thiamine deficiency...) but we both put "personality disorder", thinking that well.. for one... we figured alcohol abuse can cause someone to develop a personality disorder Secondly... Korsakov's psychosis anyone?... (She said that Korsakov's psychosis wasn't a personality disorder, but I'm not really sure. Even if it's not, we could still prove the first one)

Although I see the reasoning behind the nutrition answer, this was not a prioritization question, or a "most right" question, so if it's right... it's right.

We need to make a solid case to get the points back, but we think there might be some bullcrap in her reasoning somewhere, because this is the same lady that said insomnia is Latin for "living hell".... someone failed Latin...

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Review your text and/or the DSM-IV for the definitions of personality disorders, substance-related disorders and Korsakov's psychosis.

Substance related disorders are grouped in Axis I, personality disorders in Axis II. Korsakov's psychosis is a dementia sometimes seen in late alcoholism, not a personality disorder.

I personally chuckled at your instructor's definition of insomnia. I think she picked a particularly descriptive, accurate term ... I doubt she meant the literal Latin translation.

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Review your text and/or the DSM-IV for the definitions of personality disorders, substance-related disorders and Korsakov's psychosis.

Substance related disorders are grouped in Axis I, personality disorders in Axis II. Korsakov's psychosis is a dementia sometimes seen in late alcoholism, not a personality disorder.

I personally chuckled at your instructor's definition of insomnia. I think she picked a particularly descriptive, accurate term ... I doubt she meant the literal Latin translation.

Yeah, it'd be funny to me if she just said it meant "living hell" to her, but she specifically said it was Latin for living hell, and this lady is completely devoid of any sort of sense of humor or any shred of a cordial personality really O_o... I don't know where she got that, but she seemed 100% serious.

I suppose if I just look up the DSM-IV definition for a personality disorder and couple that with a few other things I might be able to get some points back.

Thanks a bunch!

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
Yeah, it'd be funny to me if she just said it meant "living hell" to her, but she specifically said it was Latin for living hell, and this lady is completely devoid of any sort of sense of humor or any shred of a cordial personality really O_o... I don't know where she got that, but she seemed 100% serious.

Perhaps the joke is on you ... ;)

I suppose if I just look up the DSM-IV definition for a personality disorder and couple that with a few other things I might be able to get some points back.

Thanks a bunch!

It seems you've missed my point entirely, i.e. ...1) Korsakov's psychosis is NOT a personality disorder (and also not a subtance-related disorder, but a dementia with its own dx and characteristics, BTW); and 2) substance-related disorders, as defined by the DSM-IV are NOT interchangeable with personality disorders.

Without knowing what the other answer choices to that test question were available, I can't comment on "nutrition" being the best possible answer. But I belive your apparent focus on believing that you would assess for a personality disorder in a patient w/alcoholism to be incorrect.

Unless there is another, better answer choice than what you have provided, I agree w/your instructor's choice of "nutrition."

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

If you apply Maslows hierarchy of needs then nutrition would be above any mental instability. This might be where the question and your instructor was leading you.

rags

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