Table of Contents
Can you fix a personality disorder?
Personality disorders are notoriously hard to treat. But research suggests that dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive therapy can help people with one of the most common disorders. People with personality disorders experience abnormal thoughts and behaviors that keep them from functioning as well as they should. But antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult types of personality disorders to treat. A person with antisocial personality disorder may also be reluctant to seek treatment and may only start therapy when ordered to do so by a court. Recovery. 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. The pattern of experience and behavior usually begins by late adolescence or early adulthood and causes distress or problems in functioning. Without treatment, personality disorders can be long-lasting. There are 10 specific types of personality disorders in the DSM-5-TR. Technically, according to DSM-5*, a person can receive more than one personality disorder diagnosis. People who are diagnosed with a personality disorder most often qualify for more than one diagnosis. A person with a severe personality disorder might meet the criteria for four, five or even more disorders!
Are personality disorders serious?
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. There’s no clear reason why some people develop the feelings and behaviours associated with personality disorders, and others don’t. Most researchers believe that a complex mix of factors seems to increase the risk of developing or triggering these experiences, including: environment and social circumstances. Research suggests that genetics, abuse and other factors contribute to the development of obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic or other personality disorders. In the past, some believed that people with personality disorders were just lazy or even evil. Most personality disorders begin in the teen years when your personality further develops and matures. As a result, almost all people diagnosed with personality disorders are above the age of 18. Know that you can live a normal life with BPD. People with BPD often have risk-taking behaviors, such as overspending, drug use, reckless driving, or self-harm due to a lack of inhibition. Although these behaviors can be dangerous, and potentially life-threatening, many people with BPD are high-functioning individuals. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994) notes that (a) borderline personality disorder occurs more often in females; (b) histrionic and dependent personality disorders may occur more often in females; (c) schizoid, schizotypal, paranoid, antisocial, …