Personality Disorders Explained: What They Are & How They Affect Us
Stop and think about personality. What comes to mind?
A statement like “I am an introvert,” or “I am friendly”? Perhaps a sense of who you are as a person, or an attempt to predict what others will do based on who they are.
Any reliable conceptualisation of personality needs to test and describe enduring characteristics of behavior driven by innate interests, values, abilities, and emotional patterns.
A Brief Introduction to Personality Disorders
Personality is an incredibly powerful word, or a collection of words; years before famous models like the ‘Big 5, ’ personality researchers like Gordon Allport meticulously sifted through the English dictionary to find over 4,500 words that describe ‘personality.’
From there, others have narrowed down, analysed, tested, and compiled theories to describe personality in as few as 5 overarching terms.
This research has given us a good idea of the structure of personality, or at least a good enough idea to know when something is up with this structure. The key here is order, and its opposing force – disorder – a highly descriptive term that has unfortunately negative connotations.
As existentialist philosophers would put it, life is the struggle against disorder: you make the bed, go to work, mow the lawn, or tidy the house to impose order on your tiny patch of the universe.
But what happens when your personality becomes disordered? Whether it’s due to your upbringing, genetics, brain development, or a million other environmental and inherent variables.
Types of Personality Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) defines and sets out the criteria for diagnosing personality disorders. Under their model, there are ‘cluster A, ‘B and ‘C’ disorders.
A includes disorders defined by odd or eccentric behavior, B looks at dramatic and unpredictable traits and behaviors, and C includes more anxious and fearful traits.
I know, it’s a bit of a dry format, but it’s critical to understand, especially for students pursuing one of the CACREP-accredited online counseling programs.
Cluster A
Problems like Paranoid Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder, and Schizotypal Personality Disorder all fall under this umbrella. They are all characterized by a pattern of thought and behavior that appears unusual or eccentric to others and makes it difficult to live a ‘normal’ life.
Cluster B
Now we move to disorders that involve dramatic, emotional behaviors.
Borderline Personality Disorder is classified by emotional instability and impulsivity. Antisocial Personality Disorder includes manipulation and recklessness. Narcissistic Personality Disorder features grandiosity, while Histrionic Personality Disorder involves attention-seeking.
Cluster C
These disorders are marked by anxiety and fear.
Avoidant Personality Disorder involves shyness and fear of rejection. Dependent Personality Disorder shows excessive reliance on others. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder features perfectionism and control. Therapy supports healthier coping.
The Personality Problem
As you probably realize, no one has a ‘perfect personality,’ because there is no such thing. We have quirks, eccentricities, and differences that make the idea of a ‘normal life’ just that – an idea.
However, certain differences in personality cause people a great deal of distress; take someone living with schizotypal personality disorder. You could label the unusual behaviour, social withdrawal, and distorted views as patterns of behavior that simply don’t fit with society’s expectations.
However, you could be doing those with schizotypal a serious disservice. Studies show elevated anxiety, higher suicide rates, and common comorbid issues, like substance abuse, common within those living with the disorder.
Many modern providers and educators are quick to dismiss the value of personality disorder classification because “labels stick.” But without an accurate diagnosis, how appropriate can the treatment be?
Without distinctions between personality and personality disorder, how can we research new treatment modalities for specific issues?
Treatment and Management Strategies
When someone walks into a hospital, psychologist’s office, or a GP’s waiting room, they probably aren’t thinking about the diagnostic criteria for personality disorders. But, at the end of the day, the whole point in this system is for healthcare professionals to have the tools and knowledge to help people suffering from very real problems.
Luckily, there are tools to help; tests like the MMPI-5 can be used to assess personality traits, while forms of psychotherapy can be used depending on the issue.
For those with borderline personality disorder, research shows that dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is highly effective, while avoidant personality disorder responds well to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
For antisocial personality disorder, group-based therapy can be effective, especially when combined with CBT.
Moving Forward With Understanding
While you might see personality as the defining feature of who we are, that’s not always the case. Personality can change; people adapt, learn, and unlearn maladaptive patterns.
With treatment, it is entirely possible to overcome a whole range of problems and live a happy life.
It should never be about changing someone to fit into society’s idea of a functional person, but giving those in need the tools to become the version of themselves they truly want to be.
As Abraham Maslow said, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
**Please note, this article should not serve as medical advice. If you or someone you care for needs help, please contact your family doctor, one of the many helplines, or a local hospital.
