Personality Disorders
Here we are going to look at personality disorders, there are many listed in the DSM-5 (the main reference book on mental health and brain-related conditions and disorders), so we're going to focus on the more common ones. There is lots of information out there on the ones we don't mention here so do your research if you want to learn more. We'll then talk about what it might feel like if you were to experience a personality disorder.
The Facts.....
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), organizes the 10 types of personality disorders into three main clusters (categories). Each cluster has different symptoms in common.
Cluster A
These personality disorders involve unusual and eccentric thinking or behaviours. These include:
Paranoid personality disorder (PPD)Paranoia is the main characteristic, a relentless mistrust and suspicion of others even when there is no real reason for suspicion. People with paranoid personality disorder often believe others are trying to demean, harm, exploit, deceive or threaten them.
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD)This is where a person tends to be consistently emotionally detached and generally disinterested in social and interpersonal relationships. People with schizoid personality disorder have a limited range of emotions when interacting with others.
Schizotypal personality disorder (STPD)This condition is marked by a consistent pattern of intense discomfort around people with limited need for close relationships. Relationships may be hindered by their distorted views of reality, superstitions and unusual behaviours.
Cluster B
These personality disorders involve dramatic and erratic behaviours. People with these types of conditions display intense, unstable emotions and impulsive behaviours. These include:
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)People with this condition show a consistent lack of respect toward others, be impulsive, and don't follow socially accepted norms or rules. They disregard the rights, feelings and safety of others and may break the law. They may refuse to take responsibility for their behaviours and/or display disregard for the negative consequences of their actions.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)This condition affects emotional regulation therefore the person experiences intense emotional swings, this results in low self-esteem, impulsive behaviours, fear of abandonment, and unstable relationships.
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD)This condition is marked by intense, unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. They need to be centre of attention and feel distressed or uncomfortable when they are not. Their self-esteem depends on the approval of others rather than a true feeling of self-worth. The overwhelming desire to be noticed by others means behaviour can be dramatic or theatrical.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)Characteristics of this condition are a consistent pattern of perceived superiority and grandiosity, an excessive need for praise and admiration and a lack of empathy for others. These thoughts and behaviours often stem from low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
Cluster C
These personality disorders involve severe anxiety and fear. They include:
Avoidant personality disorder (AVPD)
People with this condition experience chronic feelings of inadequacy, a deep fear of rejection, and are highly sensitive to being negatively judged by others. They tend to avoid social situations because of the intense discomfort, it differs to social anxiety disorder because AVPD is more deeply rooted in low self-esteem and a belief that one is fundamentally flawed.
Dependent personality disorder: This condition is marked by a constant and excessive need to be cared for by someone else. It also involves submissiveness, a need for constant reassurance and the inability to make decisions. People with dependent personality disorder often become very close to another person and spend great effort trying to please that person. They tend to display passive and clinging behavior and have a fear of separation.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD): This condition is marked by a consistent and extreme need for orderliness, perfectionism and control (with no room for flexibility) that ultimately slows or interferes with completing a task. It can also interfere with relationships.
The Feels....
As you can see, there are many different personality disorders, and to try and describe the experience of any one of these would be to ignore the others and overlook the fact that as humans we don't all experience things the same way anyway. So rather than focus on any one disorder, we would like to give you a flavour of what its like to be a person living with a personality disorder and what its like if you're the persons support. At the end of the day, having a diagnosis is a starting point. Not everyone likes being labelled but it helps us understand what we are working with, access medication and explain to others. From the general descriptions above, we can see what the most common symptoms are, but they don't take into account our individuality, where we come from, our backgrounds, our life experiences, and all the other stuff that impacts our way of being in the world. The other point to consider, is that just because a person has a personality disorder, it doesn't mean that they don't also have another difficulty as well, in fact, there's a good chance they will. If you can imagine living with any of the conditions above, you may also see that life is going to be more difficult, and when life is difficult we may turn to drugs or alcohol to help cope or numb feelings that we don't want or experience depression because perhaps our relationship with our partner is suffering.
So, what we do know at this point, is that a person with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves and relates very differently to others in comparison to the average person. We still don't know exactly what causes a personality disorder but it seems that a mixture of factors, genetic, environmental and ACES's (adverse childhood experiences) can all increase your chances of developing one. It can be a long road to recovery, if it happens at all, so educating yourself can go some way to understanding, but you'll need stamina over the possible months and years it takes to recover. Talk therapy and/or medication is what can help, however it can be hard and not everyone may have the support they need or the capacity to use the help. Additional issues like addiction may affect recovery, as basically the person is battling two issues. Therefore seeking professional help in this instance is somewhat essential, it can be very hard to do alone, even if we have willing family and friends. So please, we encourage to reach out for help, go to Resources