Personality Disorders

Personality disorders are a form of mental illness in which a person can have inflexible and unhealthy thinking patterns, general functioning, and behaviour. They typically have difficulty perceiving and relating to others and can have mood and other emotional and psychological issues.

Personality disorders usually begin to emerge in teenage years or early adulthood but are believed to form in childhood due to a combination of genetic and early environmental factors. Many people with personality disorders have often also suffered some form of trauma, emotional abuse, neglect, or early attachment disruption from a primary care giver.

It is thought that personality disorders occur as result of a complex interplay between negative childhood experiences (including abuse and neglect,) environment (such as being raised by parent with a mental isness, substance abuse, aggression, or poor boundaries issues), and genetic factors (including predisposition, mental, and physical health).

Personality disorders lie on a spectrum, along with normal personality traits meaning people can have some features or symptoms without having a diagnosis of this disorder.

Many symptoms however, of different personality disorders overlap and many people with one personality disorder also have signs and symptoms of at least one additional personality disorder.

Common signs and symptoms of personality disorder can include:

Extreme mood swings
Angry outbursts
Need for instant gratification
Risk taking behaviour
Suspicion and distrust
Difficulty with relationships
Problems at school and work
Strange and erratic behaviour

Usually, the best form of treatment for personality disorders involves regular consistent long-term psychotherapy. Psychotherapy may be provided in individual sessions, group therapy or sessions that include family or primary supports. Individual therapy can be extremely beneficial in terms of assisting clients with personality disorders to understand their moods thoughts feelings and behaviours better and to learn to cope with stress and how to manage symptoms. Your therapist can assist you to gain insight and knowledge to learn healthy ways to manage symptoms and reduce behaviours that interfere with functioning and relationships.