Personality Disorders

We find that long-term patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are unhealthy and inflexible and are common symptoms of personality disorders. The individuals who suffer from a personality disorder often find that these behaviors cause serious problems with relationships and work. They often have dealing with everyday stresses and problems and experience dark or gloomy relationships with other people.

Each personality disorder exhibits different and unique signs and symptoms. They can range in severity. It is often difficult for someone who is suffering from a personality disorder to realize and identify with the problem.

Avoidant Personality Disorder- is a mental condition when someone has a pattern of feeling shy, inadequate or sensitive to rejection.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Easily hurt when people criticize or disapprove of them
• Hold back too much, build walls or extreme reservation in intimate relationships
• Show reluctance to get involved with people or groups
• Trend to stay alone or avoid activities or jobs that involve contact with others
• Shyness social situations out of fear of doing something wrong
• View themselves as not good socially or not as good as other people

Borderline Personality Disorder- is a mental condition when a person has long-term patterns of unstable or turbulent emotions.  This will open result in impulsive and chaotic relationships with others.

Risk Factors:

• Abandonment in childhood or adolescence
• Disrupted family life
• Poor Communication in the family
• Sexual, physical or emotional abuse

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Intense fear of being abandoned
• Cannot tolerate being alone
• Frequent feelings of emptiness and boredom
• Frequent displays of inappropriate anger
• Impulsiveness (may include substance or sexual relationships)
• Repeated crisis and acts of self-injury, such cutting or overdosing

Dependent Personality Disorder- Dependent personality disorder is a mental condition in which people depend too much on others to meet their emotional and physical needs.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Avoiding being alone
• Avoiding personal responsibility
• Becoming easily hurt by criticism or disapproval
• Becoming overly focused on fears of being abandoned
• Becoming very passive in relationships
• Feeling very upset or helpless when relationships end
• Having difficulty making decisions without support from others
• Having problems expressing disagreements with others

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder- Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a mental condition in which a person is preoccupied with rules, orderliness and control

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Over-devotion to work
• Not being able to throw things away, even when the objects have no value
• Lack of flexibility
• Lack of generosity
• Not wanting to allow other people to do things
• Not willing to show affection
• Preoccupation with details, rules, and lists

Schizoid Personality Disorder- is a mental condition in which a person has a lifelong pattern of indifference to others and social isolation.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Appears distant and detached
• Avoids social activities that involve emotional closeness with other people
• Does not want or enjoy close relationships, even with family members

Schizotypal Personality Disorder- is a mental condition in which a person has trouble with relationships and disturbances in thought patterns, appearance, and behavior.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Discomfort in social situations
• Inappropriate displays of feelings
• No close friends
• Odd behavior or appearance
• Odd beliefs, fantasies, or preoccupations
• Odd speech

Narcissistic Personality Disorder- is a mental condition in which a person has an excessive sense of self-importance, an extreme preoccupation with themselves and a lack of empathy for others.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• React to criticism with rage, shame, or humiliation
• Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals
• Have excessive feelings of self-importance
• Exaggerate achievements and talents
• Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love
• Have unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment
• Need constant attention and admiration
• Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy
• Have obsessive self-interest
• Pursue mainly selfish goals

Histrionic Personality Disorder- is a mental condition in which people act in a very emotional and dramatic way that draws attention to themselves.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Acting or looking overly seductive
• Being easily influenced by other people
• Being overly concerned with their looks
• Being overly dramatic and emotional
• Being overly sensitive to criticism or disapproval
• Believing that relationships are more intimate than they actually are
• Blaming failure or disappointment on others
• Constantly seeking reassurance or approval
• Having a low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification
• Needing to be the center of attention (being self centered)
• Quickly changing emotions, which may seem shallow to others

Paranoid Personality Disorder- s a mental condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of distrust and suspicion of others. The person does not have a full-blown psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia.

Signs/ Symptoms:

• Concern that other people have hidden motives
• Expectation that they will be exploited (used) by others
• Inability to work together with others
• Social isolation
• Detachment
• Hostility

Contact us today for your Personality Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment service. We proudly serve patients in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and surrounding communities.