They include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder, a type of anxiety disorder. If you have any signs or symptoms of a personality disorder, see your doctor or other primary care professional or a mental health professional.
Untreated, personality disorders can cause significant problems in your life that may get worse without treatment.
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:. 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.
Although the precise cause of personality disorders is not known, certain factors seem to increase the risk of developing or triggering personality disorders, including:.
Personality disorders can significantly disrupt the lives of both the affected person and those who care about that person. Personality disorders may cause problems with relationships, work or school, and can lead to social isolation or alcohol or drug abuse. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Their self-esteem may be inappropriately high or low. Personality disorders are underdiagnosed.
When people with personality disorders seek treatment, their chief complaints are often of depression or anxiety rather than of the manifestations of their personality disorder. Once clinicians suspect a personality disorder, they evaluate cognitive, affective, interpersonal, and behavioral tendencies using specific diagnostic criteria.
More sophisticated and empirically rigorous diagnostic tools are available for more specialized and academic clinicians. Relative stability and early onset traced back to at least adolescence or early adulthood of the pattern. Also, other possible causes of the symptoms eg, other mental health disorders, substance use Substance Use Disorders Substance use disorders are a type of substance-related disorder that involve a pathologic pattern of behaviors in which patients continue to use a substance despite experiencing significant Diagnosis is suspected clinically and confirmed by imaging primarily Because many patients with a personality disorder lack insight into their condition, clinicians may need to obtain history from clinicians who have treated these patients previously, other practitioners, family members, friends, or others who have contact with them.
The gold standard of treatment for personality disorders is psychotherapy. Both individual and group psychotherapy are effective for many of these disorders if the patient is seeking treatment and is motivated to change. Typically, personality disorders are not very responsive to drugs, although some drugs can effectively target specific symptoms eg, depression, anxiety.
Disorders that often coexist with personality disorders eg, depressive disorders Overview of Mood Disorders Mood disorders are emotional disturbances consisting of prolonged periods of excessive sadness, excessive joyousness, or both. Mood disorders can occur in children and adolescents see Depressive Fear is an emotional, physical, and behavioral response to an immediately recognizable external threat eg, an intruder, a car spinning on For treatment recommendations for each disorder, see table Treatment of Personality Disorders Treatment of Personality Disorders Personality disorders in general are pervasive, enduring patterns of thinking, perceiving, reacting, and relating that cause significant distress or functional impairment.
Reducing subjective distress eg, anxiety, depression is the first goal. These symptoms often respond to increased psychosocial support, which often includes moving the patient out of highly stressful situations or relationships.
Drug therapy may also help relieve stress. Reduced stress makes treating the underlying personality disorder easier. An effort to enable patients to see that their problems are internal should be made early. Patients need to understand that their problems with work or relationships are caused by their problematic ways of relating to the world eg, to tasks, to authority, or in intimate relationships.
Achieving such understanding requires a substantial amount of time, patience, and commitment on the part of a clinician.
Family members and friends can help identify problems of which patients and clinicians would otherwise be unaware. Maladaptive and undesirable behaviors eg, recklessness, social isolation, lack of assertiveness, temper outbursts should be dealt with quickly to minimize ongoing damage to jobs and relationships.
Behavioral change is most important for patients with the following personality disorders:. Behavior can typically be improved within months by group therapy and behavior modification; limits on behavior must often be established and enforced. Sometimes patients are treated in a day hospital or residential setting. Self-help groups or family therapy can also help change socially undesirable behaviors. Read more about the treatment for borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
You can also visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists website , and charity websites Mind and Rethink Mental Illness for their patient information on treatment for other types of personality disorder. Many people with a personality disorder recover over time. Psychological or medical treatment is often helpful, but support is sometimes all that's needed. There's no single approach that suits everyone — treatment should be tailored to the individual. It's not clear exactly what causes personality disorders, but they're thought to result from a combination of the genes a person inherits and early environmental influences — for example, a distressing childhood experience such as abuse or neglect.
Having a personality disorder can have a big effect on the person's life, as well as their family and friends, but support is available. If you'd like support for yourself or someone you know, you may find the following links useful:. Ask a GP about support groups for personality disorders near you. Or find out what mental health services exist and how to access them.
I am less impulsive and more able to use skills and techniques to help myself. I manage relationships better. With help, you can learn to stop the unhealthy coping mechanisms and swap these for more helpful strategies," says Clarke.
Talking therapies are the mainstay of treatment. And you may well need to return to therapy several times and try different types," says Clarke. Dialectical behaviour therapy DBT is commonly recommended, helping you learn to recognise and control your emotions and behaviour.
While mentalisation-based therapy MBT is about being aware of what's happening in your own mind and that of others to help control distress. Cognitive analytical therapy CAT helps you to recognise relationship patterns that cause you problems. Schema therapy aims to strengthen ways of thinking that are helpful and change those which are not. Medication is often used, although no drugs are specifically recommended to treat PD.
It may help with symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger or psychosis. You may be offered antidepressants, mood stabilisers or antipsychotics. People with severe and long-standing PD may be offered treatment in a therapeutic community. The idea is that you spend time with people experiencing similar difficulties and support each other, alongside group and individual therapy. Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions.
Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
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