Understanding Personality Disorder (PD): Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Personality disorder defines a group of psychiatric disorders. Patients with personality disorders have dysfunctional emotional or behavioral coping mechanisms with the environment, resulting in distress repeatedly throughout their lives. It is estimated that 10-20% of the population has personality disorders; hence it is quite common. Although there is no single cause for personality disorders, both genetic and environmental (mainly psychological) factors are involved.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Paranoid Personality
- Chronic Factitious Illness
- Chronic Hypomanic Personality
- Explosive Personality
- Dependent Personality Disorder

Signs & symptoms

Personality disorder begins in adolescence and is permanent throughout life. There are ten types of personality disorders, classified into three clusters: A, B, C. A common factor to all personality disorders is an ongoing behavior pattern that varies significantly from accepted norms. As a consequence of those behavior and thinking patterns, these patients experience difficulties in social functioning or impulse control.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made via a psychiatric assessment, conducted by a psychiatrist – a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. This assessment includes questioning, physical exams, cognitive exams, and other tests that might exclude other diseases or conditions.

Treatment

Personality disorder is chronic and usually resistant to treatment. Nevertheless, treatments are available and focus on improving the quality of life and changing behavioral patterns. Treatments include Psychological therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and family therapy. Medical therapies include anti-depressant drugs, mood-stabilizing drugs, and anti-psychotics drugs, based on the patient's symptoms.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital