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Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours shape our personalities. It is flexible and adaptive, which makes each person unique. These traits influence how a person interacts with the world around them. These personalities are relatively stable and don’t harm individuals’ daily lives. In contrast, personality disorder is a mental illness that causes significant distress and impairs daily functioning. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help treat the disorder.
What Is Personality Disorder?
When a person has a rigid, unhealthy, and maladaptive pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaviors that impacts individuals’ relationships and other important areas of life, they struggle with personality disorders. It is a mental health condition that makes it difficult to perceive and relate to situations like those of other people.
It is essential to understand that personality disorder doesn’t define you or make you any less than others. You simply have different challenges, and recognizing your personality patterns makes it easier to manage your overall well-being.
Common Misconceptions about Personality Disorders
Lack of awareness and understanding of personality disorders has led to many misconceptions and can create stigma, making it harder for individuals to seek professional help. Some of the common misconceptions are
Personality Disorders Are Simply Character Flaws
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about personality disorder. Personality traits or character flaws can be annoying for a moment and adaptive, which are relatively unharmful, but personality disorders are mental health illnesses that are medically diagnosed by mental health professionals and impact daily lives.
Individuals With Personality Disorders Can’t Have Normal Lives
Many individuals with personality disorders struggle to maintain social relationships and self-isolate themselves, but with the correct approaches and treatments, individuals can manage their lives like others. A therapist will equip them with healthier coping skills and improve their overall well-being.
They Are a Result of Bad Parenting
Parenting is not the only factor that leads to personality disorders, although childhood environment and upbringing can play a significant role. Dismissing genetic variables, early life experiences, and changes in brain chemistry is wrong. They majorly contribute to developing personality disorders.
People With Personality Disorders Are Bad People
It is important to understand the underlying psychological factors behind personality disorders. They have difficulty managing their emotions and behaviours which are misunderstood by many as hostile or bad people.
All the Personality Disorders Are the Same
Individuals with personality disorders display their symptoms differently and some can overlap their symptoms. There are various types of personality disorders depending on their behaviours. It can be Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), or Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD).
Types of Personality Disorders
Not every individual with personality disorder is the same; each one has a unique set of qualities. They are broadly classified into three categories: Cluster A, Cluster B, and Cluster C, which also have further classifications.
Cluster A
Three types of personality disorders fall under Cluster A type. This category is often described as people with unconventional thinking, behaviours, and social interaction patterns.
Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD): Individuals who are suspicious of others or have severe trust issues fall under this type. They often mistake innocent behaviours or situations as dangerous or directed at them to harm.
Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD): Social withdrawal and self-isolation are the common traits of SPD. They might be misunderstood as detached because of their lack of interaction or connection.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder (STPD): STPD people have unusual beliefs, behaviours, and looks. Their peculiarities lead them to isolation and suffering from social anxiety.
Cluster B
Four types of personality disorders fall under Cluster B. They are characterized by intense, emotional, and unpredictable patterns of behaviours and interpersonal relationships.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): A different range of emotions and having trouble controlling them, severe mood swings, a fear of being abandoned, and difficult relationships are characteristics of BPD.
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): ASPD people are often manipulative and dishonest. They don’t follow societal norms and regulations that impair others’ feelings and well-being.
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD): Individuals with an extreme need for attention may exhibit dramatic behaviors to attract attention and may struggle to maintain their true selves.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): NPD individuals consider themselves superior, need constant validation, downgrade others to feel better about themselves, and lack empathy.
Cluster C
Three types of personality disorders are under this category, and they are associated with anxious and fearful behaviour patterns.
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD): People with AvPD often avoid social interaction due to their extreme nervousness, low self-esteem, and fear of rejection.
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD): Individuals who are overly dependent on others even for minute things struggle with DPD. Being alone or left out is the most fearful thing for them.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD): An obsessive need for order, perfection in everything regardless of any tasks, strict rules for themselves, difficulty assigning any duties, and being extremely critical of both themselves and others.
Living with personality disorder can be hard, with a lack of awareness and knowledge about the condition, societal stigma, discrimination, and social withdrawal escalate their symptoms and make it difficult to seek help. It greatly impacts a person’s mental health, social relationships, and emotional well-being.
Personality is simply who you are, however, a personality disorder is a mental health condition that can disrupt your life and the people around you. If you are concerned that you or someone you know may have a personality problem, seeking professional help can significantly improve your life. They will assess your behaviors and will create a personalized treatment plan that aligns with your symptoms, improving your overall well-being.
