Cluster A comprises paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders. Which list matches these disorders?

• A. Paranoid personality disorder, Schizoid personality disorder, Schizotypal personality disorder
• B. Borderline personality disorder, Histrionic personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder
• C. Avoidant personality disorder, Dependent personality disorder, Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• D. Antisocial personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder, Borderline personality disorder

Answer: (A)

Understanding how personality disorders are grouped helps you see why Cluster A includes paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal. In the DSM-5, personality disorders are organized into three clusters: A, B, and C. Cluster A is the odd or eccentric group, and it is defined by unusual thinking or social behavior. Paranoid personality disorder features pervasive distrust and suspicion; schizoid personality disorder involves social detachment and limited emotional expression; schizotypal personality disorder includes odd beliefs or eccentric behavior and discomfort with close relationships. So the option that lists these three disorders together aligns perfectly with Cluster A.

The other options mix in disorders from the other clusters: Cluster B covers dramatic or erratic patterns (such as antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic), and Cluster C covers anxious or fearful patterns (such as avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive). Those do not belong to Cluster A.