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Personality Disorder

Personality Disorders: Types, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment.

Personality Disorder

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What Are Personality Disorders?

What Are Personality Disorders?

Personality disorders are patterns of inflexible thinking and behaving that differ significantly from societal and cultural norms. This causes significant distress and problems in relationships, work, and overall functioning.

Personality disorders tend to be rigid and unhealthy ways of coping with life stresses and relating to others. While everyone has some "quirky" or eccentric traits, people with personality disorders exhibit symptoms severe enough to cause them distress and difficulty carrying out daily activities.

What are some Common Personality Disorders?

What Are some Common Personality Disorders?

Some of the more common personality disorders are explained below:

People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) struggle to regulate their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and self-image. Their emotions tend to be intense and short-lived, fluctuating rapidly from positive to negative. They have difficulty calming or soothing themselves during emotional storms. This emotional instability often leads to relationship trouble and impulsive, risky behaviors.

Common BPD symptoms include:

  • Intense but fleeting emotional episodes
  • Explosive anger and mood swings
  • Chronic feelings of emptiness
  • Impulsiveness in areas like spending, sex, substance use
  • Unstable self-image and sense of self
  • Suicidal behaviors and threats
  • Intense fears of abandonment, even in stable relationships
  • A pattern of unstable relationships
  • Difficulty being alone

Those with BPD see the world in black and white, alternating between idealizing and demonizing people. Their relationships follow a pattern where someone is first put on a pedestal before being perceived as emotionally dangerous. These volatile relationships, combined with chronic emptiness and attempts to avoid abandonment, create much suffering for those with BPD.

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People with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) exhibit an exaggerated sense of self-importance along with a lack of empathy toward others. They have an unrealistic view of their talents, powers, and uniqueness that approaches grandiosity. They expect constant praise and admiration from others and often come across as arrogant or haughty.

Other common narcissistic personality disorder symptoms include:

  • Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, beauty, or ideal love
  • Extreme need for admiration and attention
  • Sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment)
  • Exploitation of others without guilt or remorse
  • Envy of others and believe others envy them
  • Arrogant attitudes and behaviors

Those with NPD are hungry for attention and validation from others to support their inflated self-views. But deep down, they feel insecure and often mask feelings of inadequacy.

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Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) navigate life through a lens markedly different from the average person's. Characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, those with ASPD often find themselves in conflict with societal norms and laws. This disorder is not about being unsociable or introverted, as the name might misleadingly suggest, but rather involves a more profound lack of regard for the well-being of others.

Common symptoms of antisocial personality disorder include:

  • Persistent lying, deceitfulness, or manipulation for personal gain or pleasure
  • Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
  • Irritability and aggressiveness, often resulting in physical fights or assaults
  • Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others
  • Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
  • Lack of remorse, as shown by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

People with ASPD often appear charming or charismatic, using these traits to manipulate or exploit others for personal gain. They may engage in risky behaviors without considering the consequences, not only for themselves but for those around them. This lack of empathy and disregard for societal rules can lead to significant challenges in interpersonal relationships, employment, and overall societal integration.

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Those with histrionic personality disorder exhibit excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behaviors. They are uncomfortable when not the center of attention and misbehave in seductive ways to gain attention.

Common symptoms of histrionic personality disorder include:

  • Constant seeking of reassurance or approval
  • Exaggerated expression of emotions
  • Provocative or seductive appearance or behavior
  • Excessive sensitivity to criticism
  • Overly concerned with physical appearance
  • Theatrical speech style
  • Egocentricity is uncomfortable when not the center of attention
  • Shallow, rapidly shifting emotions

People with histrionic personality disorder feel unappreciated or ignored unless they are receiving constant attention and reinforcement. They may use their physical appearance to draw attention by wearing provocative or revealing clothing. They often shift emotions rapidly and seem insincere in their emotional expressions.

These excessive emotional behaviors are their way of securing attention and validation. But it often backfires and pushes people away, ultimately leaving them feeling empty.

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Individuals with avoidant personality disorder avoid work activities and relationships that require significant interpersonal contact out of fear of criticism, disapproval, or rejection. Low self-esteem and hypersensitivity to rejection underly the avoidance behaviors.

Symptoms of avoidant personality disorder include:

  • Avoidance of work activities requiring interpersonal contact
  • Avoidance of relationships unless guaranteed uncritical acceptance
  • Preoccupation with being criticized or rejected
  • Inhibition and discomfort in social situations
  • Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority
  • Extreme shyness and discomfort with intimacy
  • Hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
  • Self-view as socially inept or inferior

People with avoidant personality disorder often view themselves as being socially awkward, unappealing, or inferior. They avoid or withdraw from work and social obligations to avoid potential rejection or criticism. They may also exhibit unusually intense anger or rage with perceived slights or criticism. Although they desire intimacy, they find it difficult to open up and trust others completely.

Avoidance protects them from feared rejection and shame.

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Those with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) demonstrate perfectionism, preoccupation with orderliness, and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility and efficiency. They adhere rigidly to rules and regulations regardless of changing circumstances.

Common symptoms include:

  • Preoccupation with details, order, organization, rules, and schedules
  • Extreme perfectionism, even at the cost of efficiency or task completion
  • Inflexible insistence things be done a certain way
  • Hoarding behaviors
  • Rigidity and stubbornness
  • Tight control of one's schedule and environment
  • Excessive cautiousness, hesitation to take even low risks
  • Difficulty completing tasks due to excessive meticulousness
  • Excessive devotion to work at the expense of relationships and health

The obsessiveness, need for control, and perfectionism seen in OCPD are distinct from the intrusive thoughts and repetitive compulsions of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCPD are not aware their behavior is unreasonable - they see their way as the right way. This inflexibility strains interpersonal relationships as they have trouble respecting other's valid ways of doing things.

They may also lack close relationships and overwork themselves due to devotion to productivity and rigid standards.

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What Causes Personality Disorders?

What Causes Personality Disorders?

Personality disorders likely arise from a combination of biological and social/environmental factors interacting over one's lifespan. Genetics may predispose someone to develop a particular style of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Life experiences then shape the expression of these traits.

Biological Factors

Genetics plays a strong role as personality disorders tend to run in families. The brain regions regulating emotions, self-control, and cognition may function differently in those with personality disorders. Neurochemical imbalances in serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters also likely contribute.

Psychodynamic Factors

Unconscious defense mechanisms and early childhood experiences with caregivers may contribute to disordered personality traits later in life. Those with narcissism or borderline disorder often faced invalidating or emotionally unavailable caregivers. They may not have learned to self-soothe distress as children.

Sociocultural Factors

Social reinforcement and conditioning of maladaptive traits can reinforce and perpetuate them. Negative peer experiences like bullying, teasing, rejection, traumatic experiences, or abuse may also play a role in the development of personality disorders.

Ultimately, both nature and nurture work together to shape personality and self-regulation abilities over the lifespan. The good news is this means proper treatment can rewire disrupted thinking and behavior patterns. Brains are malleable. People can heal from past pain and overcome disordered personality traits.

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What are Personality Disorder Clusters?

What Are Personality Disorder Clusters?

According to the DSM-5, personality disorders can be categorized into three clusters based on common characteristics.

Cluster A Personality Disorders

The first group, Cluster A, includes disorders marked by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior. This cluster contains Paranoid Personality Disorder, characterized by suspicion and mistrust of others. It also includes Schizoid Personality Disorder, marked by detachment from social relationships.

Finally, Cluster A contains Schizotypal Personality Disorder, characterized by unusual beliefs and perceptions.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Cluster B contains dramatic, emotional, or erratic personality disorders. This cluster includes Antisocial Personality Disorder, marked by disregard for others. It also contains Borderline Personality Disorder, characterized by unstable moods and relationships.

Additionally, Cluster B includes Histrionic Personality Disorder, marked by excessive attention-seeking behaviors. Finally, this cluster contains Narcissistic Personality Disorder, characterized by grandiosity and lack of empathy.

Cluster C Personality Disorders

The third cluster, Cluster C, comprises anxious, fearful personality disorders. It includes Avoidant Personality Disorder, characterized by extreme social inhibition. It also contains Dependent Personality Disorder, marked by a need for others to take responsibility. Finally, Cluster C has Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, characterized by rigidity and perfectionism.

Types of Treatment for Personality Disorders

Types of Treatment for Personality Disorders

When treating a personality disorder, you’ll need to find a highly personalized, comprehensive treatment program consisting of evidence-based therapies, social support, and wellness activities.

Options should include:

Psychotherapy

During psychotherapy you will be working closely with licensed therapists in individual and group settings. Utilizing modalities like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), schema therapy, and mentalization-based therapy. Psychotherapy can help you better understand your disorder, process emotions, improve relationships, reduce risky behaviors, and build coping skills.

Medication Management

When appropriate, psychiatrists prescribe medications proven helpful in managing personality disorder symptoms like mood instability, impulsivity, and chronic anger. Medication provides added mood stabilization and impulse control.

Mindfulness-Based Therapies

Activities like meditation, yoga, art therapy, and nature walks teach you to stay grounded in the present moment. This provides relief from the emotional storms of your inner world.

Trauma-Informed Care

A good program should be guided by a trauma-informed philosophy, recognizing the particular needs of the survivors of trauma.

Interpersonal Skills

Group therapy and coaching build assertiveness, cooperation, compromise, and conflict-resolution abilities.

Self-Care Routine

Learning new healthy habits around sleep, nutrition, exercise, leisure, productivity, spirituality, and hygiene to build structure is extremely important.

Peer Support

Support groups facilitate sharing experiences and help you get involved, take an active role in your recovery, helping yourself while also helping others. Learning that you are not alone on this journey and overcoming stigma.

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We Take a Compassionate Approach to Treat Personality Disorders

The Edge Treatment Center effectively helps you manage the symptoms of personality disorders. Our team is dedicated to partnering with you on your recovery journey. We offer comprehensive evaluations, individualized treatment plans, medication management, and a peaceful healing environment.

With proper treatment and support, you can learn to manage your symptoms, improve your relationships, and lead a stable, fulfilling life.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

We provide an integrated approach, including dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication management, and group therapy tailored to each individual.

While not curable, many people with personality disorders improve significantly through psychotherapy treatments like dialectical behavioral therapy provided by The Edge Treatment Center.

We accept most insurance plans. Flexible financing options are available. Call us to learn more about costs.

If you relate to any of the symptoms listed on this webpage for more than two weeks, visit us, as we offer comprehensive evaluations to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.