Personality Disorders

Personality DisordersDo You Identify With These?

A personality disorder is referred to as a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern of behavior of a specified kind, typically manifest by the time one reaches adolescence and causing long-term difficulties in personal relationships or in functioning in society. More than 3 million individuals in the US alone deal with these conditions every year and often require a medical diagnosis to confirm that one has these certain conditions. It’s highly important to keep in contact with your local doctor for any medical advice on these disorders and keep reading on to find out more about these disorders!

Now the cause of personality disorders can vary. According to the American Pyschological Association, these disorders can be triggered through genetics, abuse, and other factors that can contribute to the development of obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic or other personality disorders. Researcher have discovered that genetics for instance have identified a malfunctioning gene that may be a factor of OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder. Other researchers exploring genetics links to aggression, anxiety and fear. If one dealt with childhood trauma, findings have also found a link between the number and type of childhood traumas and the development of personality disorders. Lastly, verbal abuse, high reactivity and peers can all be factors of these disorders and to get more info on these, please contact your doctor.

What Are Some Personality Disorders?

Those who deal with personality disorders often don’t take themselves to get checked out for possible diagnosis. This typically is because these people don’t recognize that they are dealing with these specific disorders. Psyhcology Today says that these disorders are important to healthy professionals because they predispose to mental disorder, and affect the presentation and management of existing mental disorder. Here is a list of each disorder that you might want to familiarize yourself with.

  1. Paranoid Personality Disorder.
    • This is characterized by a pervasive distrust of others, including even friends, family and partner. The person is guarded and suspicious and constantly on the lookout for clues or suggestions to validate his or her fears. They person will also have a strong sense of personal rights such as, overly sensitive to set backs and rebuffs, easily feels shame and humiliation, persistently bears grudges.
  2. Schizoid Personality Disorder.
    • Someone who is dealing with this disorder is often distached and aloof and prone to introspection and fantasy. They have no desire for social or sexual relationships, and is indifferent to others and to social norms and conventions, and lacks emotional response.
  3. Schizotypal Disorder.
    • This is characterized by oddities of appearance, behavior, and speech, unusual perceptual experiences and anomalies of thinking similar to those seen in schizophrenia. These can include odd beliefs, magical thinking, suspiciousness and obsessive ruminations.
  4. Antisocial Personality Disorder.
    • This is much more common in men than in women, and is characterized by a callous unconcern for the feelings of others. This person typically disregards social rules and obligations, is irritable and aggressive, acts impulsively, lacks guilt and fails to learn from experience.
  5. Borderline Personality Disorder.
    • Some dealing with this disorder lacks a sense of self, and as a results experiences feelings of emptiness and fears of abandonment. This results in a pattern of intense but unstable relationships, emotional instability, outbursts of anger and violence, and impulsive behavior.
  6. Histrionic Personality Disorder.
    • These people depend on their well being on attracting the attention and approval of others. They often seem to be dramatizing or playing a part in a bid to be heard and seen.
  7. Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
    • This person has an extreme feeling of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, and a need to be admired. They are envious of others and expects them to be the same of him. They lack empathy and readily exploit others to achieve their aims.
  8. Avoidant Personality Disorder.
    • Someone who expresses the signs of this disorder often avoid meeting people unless they are certain of being liked, and are restrained even in their intimate relationships.
  9. Dependent Personality Disorder.
    • This person is characterized by a lack of self confidence and an excessive need to be looked after. This person needs a lot of help making everyday decisions and surrenders important life decisions to the care of others.
  10. Anankastic Personality Disorder.
    • Lastly, characterized by excessive preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules; perfectionism so extreme that it prevents a task from being completed and devotion to work and productivity at the expensive of leisure and relationships.