Personality Disorders

What are personality disorders?

Essentially, they are a group of disorders involving personality traits that are not flexible. This inflexibility can cause distress and make it difficult for the person to function.

What to look for…

Diagnosis usually occurs during adolescence or early adulthood. The common personality disorders are:

• Paranoid – exhibiting or characterized by extreme fear distrust of others.
• Schizoid – relating to, or having personality marked by extreme shyness, reclusiveness, and an inability to form close relationships.
• Histrionic – being excessively dramatic or emotional.
• Narcissistic – having excessive love or admiration of oneself.
• Antisocial – showing a pattern of disregard for and a violation of others.
• Borderline – a condition characterized by a pattern of instability in mood, interpersonal relations, and self-image. Manifested by self-destructive, manipulative, and inconsistent behavior.
• Avoidant – exhibiting a pervasive pattern of social inhibition with feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. This limits ability to live a normal life.

What can you do?

Recommended treatment varies from illness to illness, however, in all cases it is critical to seek evaluation from a qualified mental health professional. Structured interventions, case management services, and sometimes medication are necessary in treatment of these disorders.