Final answer:
Personality disorders represent ingrained, inflexible patterns of behavior that lead to distress and are diagnosed following guidelines in the DSM. They are a broader part of mental illnesses, affecting about 9 percent of the U.S. population annually.
Step-by-step explanation:
Personality disorders are a category of psychological disorders characterized by a pattern of inflexible and maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that arise across a range of situations and lead to distress or dysfunction. They are enduring and inflexible patterns of behavior of long duration, leading to significant distress or impairment, and are not due to the use of substances or another medical condition. Personality disorders affect approximately 9 percent of people in the United States yearly. These disorders are part of a broader category of mental illnesses, which can include a variety of conditions such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and more. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) by the American Psychiatric Association provides guidelines for diagnosing these conditions.