Personality Disorders

Personality disorders are one of the most commonly diagnosed groups of psychiatric conditions.

They occur in patients when their long term behavior, thought, and emotional patterns diverge wildly from cultural expectations, and result in problems for the patient in their personal relationships or at work.

Unfortunately, most of the causes and mechanisms by which these diseases operate are still unknown, though we are aware of different genetic and environmental factors which can aggravate the conditions.

Most professionals in the field of mental health categorize personality disorders into these following types:


  • Antisocial – This disorder occurs when a person engages in behavior that manipulates or exploits others, violating their rights. Can often be actual criminal behavior.
  • Avoidant – If a person has lifelong feelings of inadequacy, or feels overly shy and sensitive to rejection, they may be experiencing this disorder.
  • Borderline – Chronically volatile and turbulent emotions lead to a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, which causes people to be impulsive and chaotic.
  • Dependent – Depending too much on others to fulfill your own emotional or physical needs is indicative of this condition.
  • Histrionic – The drama queen disorder, those who suffer from this condition are overly dramatic and emotional, so as to draw attention to themselves.
  • Narcissistic – An inflated sense of how important people are and an overwhelming selfishness are the hallmarks of this disorder.
  • OCD – When a person is so concerned with rules and control that they develop unwanted thoughts and habits of repeating actions, they suffer from OCD.
  • Paranoid – Suspicion of others, and long term distrust for people and institutions constitutes a paranoid disorder. Not on the same level as schizophrenia, however.
  • Schizoid – Rather than suspicion or manipulating of others, schizoid personality types instead show indifference and social isolation.

As you can see, there are many different types of mental illness and personality disorders.

If you suspect that either you or a loved one suffers from these conditions, or any other, make sure to call a qualified mental health professional to discuss your situation right away.

Mental disease is real, and everyone deserves treatment for the conditions they suffer from.




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