Personality Disorders
Personality disorders involve patterns of thought, behaviors, and perceptions about the world that can make everyday life difficult. If you have a personality disorder, your relationships are volatile, holding a job is difficult. Everyone else is wrongand you're right; you are rigid and inflexible in your thinking. There are many types of personality disordersand they are believed to develop from early childhood events. Counseling and medications can help.
Recently Answered
- Q How is DBT used to treat borderline personality disorder?
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Dr. Ronald Siegel, PsychologyDialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has become an established treatment for borderline personality disorder, a difficult-to-treat condition in which people experience extreme fluctuations in mood and in their opinions of themselves and others.... Full Answer
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- Q What personality disorders mimic schizophrenia?
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Dr. Douglas Severance, Family MedicineSeveral personality disorders, called Cluster A personality disorders, share symptoms with schizophrenia. Cluster A personality disorders include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder.... Full Answer
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- Q Should I talk to my doctor about my personality disorder symptoms?
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Yes, if you believe you have a personality disorder you should talk to your doctor because these disorders can disrupt your life significantly if they become worse. In many cases, people with these disorders do not realize they have a problem. Often,... Full Answer
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- Q What are the symptoms of personality disorders?
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The general symptoms of personality disorders include mood swings, outbursts of anger, drug and alcohol abuse, difficulty maintaining relationships, social isolation, mistrust and wariness of others, trouble making friends, lack of impulse control, and a... Full Answer
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- Q Can personality disorders be prevented?
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Generally speaking, personality disorders cannot be prevented. No specific cause has been pinpointed for this set of disorders, although it is believed to be a combination of genes and environment. Traumatic childhood events or childhood abuse is often... Full Answer
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- Q Does gender identity disorder affect males differently than females?
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Gender identity disorder can affect both males and females. Historically, males are more commonly affected than females; however, cases of female-to-male transsexualism are becoming more common. In all people with gender identity disorder, they feel that... Full Answer
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- Q How do medications treat personality disorders?
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Medications treat personality disorders by relieving symptoms of distress, anxiety, impulse control, and depression. Drugs do not cure or resolve personality disorders, but are helpful in relieving the stress they may cause. Antidepressants,... Full Answer
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- Q How is hospitalization used to treat personality disorders?
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Hospitalization is used to treat people with severe personality disorders when they plan to or have harmed themselves or others. It is also used when people with these disorders are unable to care for themselves. The options include full-time care,... Full Answer
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- Q Does psychotherapy help treat borderline personality disorder?
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Psychotherapy may help patients with borderline personality disorders. Both schema-focused therapy and transference-focused psychotherapy may be helpful psychotherapy techniques. These patients usually need one to three years of therapy before they... Full Answer
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- Q Is there a cure for personality disorders?
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No, there is no cure for personality disorders. These tend to be chronic, lifelong mental illnesses that will last much, if not all, of one's adult life. Treatment for these disorders using psychotherapy may take anywhere from months to many years. Full Answer
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