Personality Disorders

Personality disorders, at their core, involve seeing oneself, others and the world around oneself in a unique perspective that may not make sense to others. While symptoms can vary, personality disorders frequently involve long-term patterns of behaviors and thoughts, problems with everyday functioning, maintaining relationships, or an inaccurate sense of self.  There are 10 types of personality disorders:

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
• Antisocial Personality Disorder
• Avoidant Personality Disorder
• Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Dependent Personality Disorder
• Paranoid Personality Disorder
• Schizoid Personality Disorder
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Personality Disorders usually appear in late adolesce or early adulthood and are due to genetics, early childhood abuse/neglect or a combination of the two factors. Medication in conjunction with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) have been demonstrated to be an effective combination in helping clients who have personality disorders meet their goals.  DBT is a technique focused on increasing mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal skills.