Behavioral Science

Personality Disorders 133
CLINICAL VIGNETTES
Your patient is an excellent medical student. He always studies for 6 hours a night,
every night, and at the same time. He checks his orders three times before he turns
them in. He does everything himself because he is convinced no one can do as
good of a job as him. He keeps every note he’s ever written about a patient. No one
else in the class likes him, but he is convinced that’s just because they are jealous
of him—he is just fine. He does not do well and is up for dismissal from medical
school. What is his most likely diagnosis?
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
A young man comes into your office complaining of lack of social relationships.
He works alone as a night security guard. He got invited to a work party once, but
was too afraid to go. He would like to make friends, but feels he isn’t worthy of
socializing. He is sure they would only make fun of him anyway. What is the most
likely diagnosis?
Avoidant personality disorder