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Personality disorders

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Mental

Personality disorders

Personality disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by pervasive and inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that deviate significantly from cultural and societal norms, and cause significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. These patterns of behavior are long-standing and difficult to change, and typically emerge in adolescence or early adulthood.

There are several types of personality disorders, each with its own set of symptoms and characteristics. The most commonly recognized types of personality disorders include:

Borderline personality disorder: characterized by intense and unstable emotions, self-image, and relationships, and a fear of abandonment.
Narcissistic personality disorder: characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others.
Antisocial personality disorder: characterized by a disregard for the rights and feelings of others, a tendency towards impulsive and irresponsible behavior, and a lack of remorse or guilt for harmful actions.
Avoidant personality disorder: characterized by feelings of inadequacy and social inhibition, and a reluctance to engage in new activities or form close relationships.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: characterized by an excessive preoccupation with order, perfectionism, and control, at the expense of flexibility and spontaneity.

Diagnosis of personality disorders may involve a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, a review of medical history, and the use of standardized assessment tools. Treatment for personality disorders may involve a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) have been found to be effective in treating borderline personality disorder, while psychotherapy that focuses on building interpersonal relationships may be more effective for individuals with avoidant personality disorder.

The prognosis for personality disorders varies depending on the severity of symptoms and the individual's response to treatment. With appropriate treatment, many people with personality disorders can learn to manage their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life.

Research Papers

Disease Signs and Symptoms

Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money
Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships
Socially inhibited, timid and isolated, avoiding new activities or meeting strangers
Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact
Feeling inadequate, inferior or unattractive
Too sensitive to criticism or rejection
Avoidant personality disorder
Envy of others or belief that others envy you
Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages, often taking advantage of others
Exaggeration of achievements or talents
Failure to recognize others' needs and feelings
Fantasies about power, success and attractiveness
The belief that you're special and more important than others
Fear of disapproval, embarrassment or ridicule
Personality disorder
Excessive dependence on others and feeling the need to be taken care of
Inflexible about morality, ethics or values
Inability to discard broken or worthless objects
Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive commitment to work or a project
Preoccupation with details, orderliness and rules
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended
Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are available
Difficulty disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval
Difficulty starting or doing projects on own due to lack of self-confidence
Lack of self-confidence, requiring excessive advice and reassurance from others to make even small decisions
Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone
Submissive or clingy behavior toward others
Thinks relationships with others are closer than they really are
Excessive concern with physical appearance
Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back them up
Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech or behavior
Schizotypal personality disorder
Inability to pick up normal social cues
Inability to take pleasure in most activities
Limited range of emotional expression
Lack of interest in social or personal relationships, preferring to be alone
Schizoid personality disorder
Angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults
Perception of innocent remarks or non-threatening situations as personal insults or attacks
Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use the information against
Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty or trustworthiness of others
Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you
Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing a voice whisper name
Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses
Social anxiety and a lack of or discomfort with close relationships
Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes
Intense fear of being alone or abandoned
Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury
Unstable and intense relationships
Lack of remorse for behavior
Consistently irresponsible
Aggressive, often violent behavior
Repeated violation of the rights of others
Disregard for others' needs or feelings
Antisocial personality disorder
Magical thinking believing can influence people and events with thoughts
Indifferent, inappropriate or suspicious response to others
Unusual behavior

Disease Causes

Personality disorders

Personality is the combination of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that makes you unique. It's the way you view, understand and relate to the outside world, as well as how you see yourself. Personality forms during childhood, shaped through an interaction of:

Your genes. Certain personality traits may be passed on to you by your parents through inherited genes. These traits are sometimes called your temperament.
Your environment. This involves the surroundings you grew up in, events that occurred, and relationships with family members and others.

Personality disorders are thought to be caused by a combination of these genetic and environmental influences. Your genes may make you vulnerable to developing a personality disorder, and a life situation may trigger the actual development.

Disease Prevents

Disease Treatments

Personality disorders

The treatment that's best for you depends on your particular personality disorder, its severity and your life situation. Often, a team approach is needed to make sure all of your psychiatric, medical and social needs are met. Because personality disorders are long-standing, treatment may require months or years.

Your treatment team may include your primary doctor or other primary care provider as well as a:

Psychiatrist
Psychologist or other therapist
Psychiatric nurse
Pharmacist
Social worker

If you have mild symptoms that are well-controlled, you may need treatment from only your primary doctor, a psychiatrist or other therapist. If possible, find a mental health professional with experience in treating personality disorders.

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is the main way to treat personality disorders.

Psychotherapy

During psychotherapy with a mental health professional, you can learn about your condition and talk about your moods, feelings, thoughts and behaviors. You can learn to cope with stress and manage your disorder.

Psychotherapy may be provided in individual sessions, group therapy, or sessions that include family or even friends. There are several types of psychotherapy — your mental health professional can determine which one is best for you.

You may also receive social skills training. During this training you can use the insight and knowledge you gain to learn healthy ways to manage your symptoms and reduce behaviors that interfere with your functioning and relationships.

Family therapy provides support and education to families dealing with a family member who has a personality disorder.

Medications

There are no medications specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat personality disorders. However, several types of psychiatric medications may help with various personality disorder symptoms.

Antidepressants. Antidepressants may be useful if you have a depressed mood, anger, impulsivity, irritability or hopelessness, which may be associated with personality disorders.
Mood stabilizers. As their name suggests, mood stabilizers can help even out mood swings or reduce irritability, impulsivity and aggression.
Antipsychotic medications. Also called neuroleptics, these may be helpful if your symptoms include losing touch with reality (psychosis) or in some cases if you have anxiety or anger problems.
Anti-anxiety medications. These may help if you have anxiety, agitation or insomnia. But in some cases, they can increase impulsive behavior, so they're avoided in certain types of personality disorders.

Hospital and residential treatment programs

In some cases, a personality disorder may be so severe that you need to be admitted to a hospital for psychiatric care. This is generally recommended only when you can't care for yourself properly or when you're in immediate danger of harming yourself or someone else.

After you become stable in the hospital, your doctor may recommend a day hospital program, residential program or outpatient treatment.