What is a Personality Disorder?
A personality disorder is a mental health condition that is associated with people suffering from destructive patterns of thinking, mood swings, and behaviour changes that is long-lasting. Due to the drastic pattern changes, it can cause those suffering from it and people around them severe distress throughout their everyday life.
There is a wide range of personality disorders that an individual can suffer from all with different characteristics and symptoms that can range from mild to severe depending on the individual as there are also a variety of factors that come into play with symptoms such as their family history, genetics, environment and many more.
Personality is vital as they help define who we are as individuals compared to other people around us. Personality is a unique combination of many factors such as thoughts, behaviours and attitudes towards certain areas. It is how we express these in our everyday life that lets our unique personality shine through.
Personality disorders can cause individuals to have a very distorted perception of reality and abnormal behaviours that are way outside the social norms which can seriously affect all aspects of their life from social life, work, family and more. People that suffer from a personality disorder may not realise and recognise that these behaviours are affecting themselves or others around them.
What are the different types of Personality Disorders?
There are currently ten commonly recognised personality disorders that are split up into three main cluster categories. Each cluster will have different types of symptoms and some in common.
Cluster A Personality Disorders
This cluster is those experiencing unusual and eccentric thinking or behaviours.
Those suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder will have persistent thoughts of mistrust of people and hold strong suspicions against others for no apparent reason. People that suffer from this disorder believe that people are out to do them harm or threaten them.
People with Schizoid Personality Disorder will have a frequent pattern of detachment that will come across as a general disinterest in any sort of relationship and are often described as a ‘lack of humanity.’ When interacting with others they will show little to no emotion.
People with conditions will show a consistent pattern of severe discomfort with and limited need for intimate or close relationships. This type of personality disorder can seriously affect relationships through their reality of life, superstitions and general behaviour that is outside the social norm.
Cluster B Personality Disorders
Cluster B Personality disorder will involve dramatic and erratic behaviours. People who suffer from Cluster B Personality Disorders will show displays of severely unstable emotions and impulsive behaviour that can affect their everyday life and close relationships.
Those suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder will show a general lack of respect for other individuals and often break the law as they are more inclined to cause physical and emotional harm to other people. They will not show any remorse or take responsibility for their actions.
This condition is associated with people who are suffering from low-self esteem, constant mood swings and impulsive behaviours that can affect relationships and everyday life.
People suffering from Histrionic Personality Disorder have unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. They will constantly strive for the approval of others to boost their self-esteem which doesn’t come from a true feeling. Due to their striving for approval from others they will act in behaviours that are dramatic and inappropriate as a way to draw attention to themselves.
Cluster C Personality Disorder
The last category, Cluster C is associated with intense anxiety and fear.
Those with Avoidant Personality Disorder will have a constant feeling of being inadequate and thus are highly sensitive to being judged by other individuals. Many with this condition actually express feelings of wanting to interact with others but they are very frightened of being rejected in social situations.
This condition is associated with individuals who require a constant need for care or attention from someone. These people will be very submissive with the inability to make big decisions for themselves and instead will need constant reassurance when doing a decision that they are doing the right one. They are often described as clingy.
This condition is associated with those who have a consistent need for perfection such as extreme orderliness that can slow down their everyday life and affect relationships. It’s not to be confused with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) as those with OCD are aware of their behaviour.
People can be affected by multiple personality disorders if they are showing symptoms.
Personality Disorder treatment options
If you are suffering or know a loved one who is having these patterns of thinking and behaviour, it can seriously affect your everyday life and close relationships around you with family or partners.
If a personality disorder is starting to negatively affect all areas of your life then do not hesitate and seek out professional help. A personality disorder is often a very misunderstood subject by the general public and there can sometimes be an unwanted stigma around seeking help for your mental health but we are not here to judge you.
It is crucial that you find the correct treatment based on the personality disorder that you can suffer from. Through diagnosis with our experienced and professional psychiatrist, we will be able to successfully take a detailed assessment of the current symptoms that you are displaying in your everyday life and guide you in the right direction with tailored treatment for you while providing ongoing support.
There are many different forms of treatment available to those suffering from a personality disorder whether it’d be controlled medication, therapy or a mixture of both. It’s crucial to do a diagnosis to help understand what personality disorder you may have in order to get tailored treatment to help manage your symptoms better to live a more fulfilled life.