Personality disorders

By:Rubab Batool

Now a days, we are very likely to hear that one of the three people is suffering from personality disorders. People of our society does not take serious this type of issues. They ignore the symptoms and make the situation of a person more miserable.
We cannot say that the people of particular age group are suffering from this problem. Every person regardless of their age can have personality disorders. According to A personality disorder is a type of mental disorder in which you have a unalterable and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning and behaving. A person who have a personality disorder has trouble to recognize and link to situations and people. This causes significant problems in relationships, social activities, work and school.
Darwin says that trouble forming relationships is the main characteristic-and the main problem—of people with personality disorders. Wanting to learn to form relationships is the beginning of the way out. Unfortunately, the catch-22 of personality disorders is that people who have them do not see themselves as being the problem.
“Its not that they do not see anything wrong with themselves, its that they see the problems as out there and not within them,”Darwin says.”People with personality disorders tend to externalize. That is the reason it often makes them hard to treat, because if you do not experience distressas coming from you, there is not much motivation to deal with the c onflict that comes up in psychotherapy”
In some cases, you may not realize that you have a personality disorder because your way of thinking and behaving seems natural to you. And you may blame others for the problems and challenges that you face. Personality disorders usually begins from teenage years or early adulthood.
“We talk with people about how they think things happen, and what they are trying to find a solution to in their behaviour,”Darwin says. “We help then look at how there may b other plausible ecplanations and solutions for their behaviour. If you think someone hurts your feelings only out of malice and evil, there are very few responces you can have. But if you help people widen their view of interactions, you help them.That usually not happen in a regular relationship—the other person will get fed up. The therapist is able to sit with them and tough out the hard part.”
Personality is the combination of behaviours, thoughts and emotions which make you unique. It is a way through which you view, understand and relate to the world, as well as how you see yourself. Personality forms during childhood, shaped through an interaction of:
Certain personality traits may be passed on to you by your parents through genes. Sometimes these traits are called your temperament.
This involves the surroundings where you grew up and events that occurred, and also due to the relationship with family members and others.
Personality disorders are the combination of these genetic and environmental influences.
Personality disorders are grouped in three clusters, based on similar symptoms and characteristics. Many people with one personality disorder also have signs and symptoms of at least one additional personality disorder. It is not necessary that all the signs and symptoms listed for a disorder to be diagnosed.
Cluster A personality disorders are characterized by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior. They include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorder.
Paranoid personality disorder is a disorder whose primary characteristic is an suspiciousness of another individual. Stricker and widiger state that the person with PPD will show a tendency to read malevolent intentions in innocent or neutral situations.
People with this type of personality disorder are reclusive, organizing their lives to avoid contact with other people .Many never marry or may continue to live with their parents. Some common traits include:
They do not desire close relationship.
They take pleasure in few activities.
They have no close friends.
They might day dream.
People with schizotypal disorder are often described as odd and usually have few, If any, close relationships. They generally do not understand how relationships form or the impact of their behaviour on others. They may also misinterpret others motivations and behaviours and also develop significant distrusts of others. People may have following symptoms:
Cluster B personality disorders are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional thinking or behaviour. They include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and a narcissistic personality disorder.
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.
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.
In conclusion, recent technological advancements and improvements to diagnostic methodologies have enabled researchers to study personality and personality disorders as never before. As a result, we now have a ,much greater understanding of these disorders. Furthermore, this research has faciliated the development of several highly effective treatments for personality disorders that are evidence-based. As research continues, these treatment approaches will be further refined. Therefore, we can stste with confidence there is hope and relief for people affected by these disorders, including their family members and loved ones.