Personality Disorders- How to recognize the signs and pursue treatment

Common signs and symptoms

Some signs of disbalance in personality traits are easily explorable if one keeps a keen eye. Let’s explore a basic idea-

• Issues in believing, trusting, and listening to others’ points of view
• Feeling abandoned or ignored for no particular, rational reason
• Distress in day-to-day relationships
• Negative experience in day-to-day situations and interactions in social, emotional, and occupational fronts
• Feeling overwhelmed with emotions without a rational cause
• Difficulty dealing with interpersonal relationships and forming new bonds
• Acting impulsively

Frequently found types as per psychiatrist for personality disorder

Usually, personality disorders are differentiated on the basis of clusters as per the norms of DSM. Here,for simplification, we have identified the common emotional state shared by the disorders and classified them based on those particular emotions for better understanding.

• Suspicion- When the predominant mood state of an individual is suspicion, the following personality disorders lie in the category- Paranoid, Schizotypal and Schizoid personality disorder.
• Emotional and Impulsive- When the individual feels that they act out of impulsiveness and as a result of emotional outburst, the disorders that can be identified are- Antisocial, borderline, Histrionic and Narcissistic personality disorder.
• Anxiety- If a person feels anxious and restless due to a certain behavior, thought or situation, following disorders can be considered- Avoidant, Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.

Possible causes of personality disorders

Since the experience of changes in personality traits is unique to everyone, the causes also differ. Most researchers point towards a complicated mix of factors that trigger the disorder.

• Environmental and social circumstances- Situations such as disturbed family life, financial constraints, bullying, substance abuse, and discrimination play an active part in triggering personality disorders.
• Early life experiences related to discrimination, abuse, and neglect are also crucial contributors.
• Genetic contributors-  Genetic composition is a primary contributor in the surfacing of personality disorders. Some individuals are quite prone to being affected by such disorders.

There is a crucial interplay of all the factors in the development and surfacing of personality disorders. All the factors play a significant role but in varying intensities according to the principle of nature and nurture. As per various psychiatrists for personality disorders, a keen observation and study should be made in each case to identify the causes.

Diagnostic procedures

Diagnosis for personality disorder can be a challenging procedure if early interventions are made. For an in-depth procedure, a critical evaluation is made. This evaluation includes a discussion about thoughts, behaviors and feelings. A counselor is appointed to tackle the intricacies of the diagnosis, where evaluation is made through questionnaires, counseling sessions and family sessions.

After ample evidence is collected, the scientific criteria from DSM and ICD are compared to clear the picture. Accordingly, a treatment plan is made and executed.

Treatment Modalities

Treatment methods can vary from case to case, although certain treatment plans are easier to administer and show great results. Let us discuss some commonly used modalities along with treatment resistant methods.

• Dialectical behavioral therapy- DBT is a highly effective therapy, especially for managing personality disorders. It focuses on controlling emotions, dealing with distress and effectively managing interpersonal relationships. It is a talk therapy that works on managing maladaptive traits that are causing significant distress in the social, emotional and physical well being of the client. The session is usually adjusted according to the intensity and need of the client and the severity of the personality disorder presented.

• Medication-based treatment- An amalgamation of antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety medications is designed by a psychiatrist for personality disorder according to the condition and need of the client. These medications have a drastic effect and produce significant change in the mood and emotional state of the client.

Although sometimes, there is a certain percentage of cases that are treatment resistant- particularly to medications and might need special intervention. These methods are-

• ECT therapy- ECT is typically considered when medication and psychotherapy do not have any significant effect on the client’s condition and immediate intervention is needed. ECT is proven to be highly effective for conditions like borderline personality disorder where severe depressive and psychotic symptoms can be seen.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation- A non-invasive treatment, it provides immediate elevation of negative affect and symptoms in cases of psychotic and depressive symptoms. BPD can be a perfect example to approach this medium of treatment.

Other treatment mediums can also be explored along with these non-traditional methods to see a full effect of these treatments. These treatments have been shown to prove highly effective according to many research and case studies.

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