Learn about the causes of Personality Disorders & find a practitioner in Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of
Plenty, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin to help you overcome Personality Disorders within New
Zealand.
Therapies which may benefit Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are a group of behavioural disorders or mental
disturbances that affect a person's thoughts, manner and ability to
interact with others. People with personality disorders often behave in
an inappropriate manner as a coping mechanism when having to respond to
other people or in stressful situations. Personality disorders often
begin during adolescence continuing on through to adulthood.
Causes of personality disorders
The exact causes of personality disorders remain unclear but as with
psychiatric problems there are a number of contributory factors such as
parental influence, genetics and social development.
Research
involving patients with personality disorders showed the vast majority
were abused during childhood and 75% of people diagnosed with a
borderline disorder experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse.
There is also a strong indication that personality disorders can be
inherited.
Personality disorders are often grouped into three
types: suspicious, emotional/impulsive and anxious. These groups will
then have their own sub-groups displaying different signs and symptoms.
Symptoms of personality disorders
Different personality disorders can be characterised by a variety of
signs and symptoms. The main groups and sub-groups and their symptoms
are listed below:
Suspicious
Within this group there are three sub-groups which display different traits:
- Paranoid – suspicion of others, holding grudges towards others and sensitive to rejection
- Schizoid – inability to make contact with others, preferring to be in own company, developing fantasies and living within them
- Schizotypal – cognitive problems (thoughts), strange ideas, hearing things, seen as eccentric
Emotional/impulsive
Within
this group type, an individual may display a number of personality
problems. These can include antisocial behaviour whereby the person can
be aggressive, uncaring towards other's feelings, easily frustrated and
an inability to learn from previous bad experiences.
The person
may have an inability to control their emotions and give little thought
to their actions. They may also suffer with feelings of emptiness and
low self-worth to the point of self-harming. Someone who is
emotional/impulsive may develop relationships quickly but just as
easily lose them. They can also suffer with paranoia, depression and
delusions.
An emotional/impulsive person may also be histrionic
and tend to over-dramatise situations or events. They can be
self-centred with strong emotions which fluctuate quickly and also
worry about their appearance. An emotional/impulsive can be
narcissistic and crave success, status and power. They will exploit
others for personal gain and be attention seekers.
Anxious
There are three sub-groups to this type displaying various characteristics:
- Obsessive-compulsive
– indecisive, striving for perfection, obsessional thoughts and
behaviour, sensitive to criticism, judgemental
- Avoidant – feeling inferior to others, a need to be accepted, tense, anxious, sensitive to criticism
- Dependent – needs others to make decisions, difficulty coping with daily activities, feelings of hopelessness and incompetence
Diagnosis of personality disorders
A personality disorder is a complex emotional and
psychological problem that requires professional intervention by a
trained mental health expert. It can be difficult for the person
affected to realise or admit they have a problem and it may require
family or friends to get them to seek help. In the first instance, a GP
will make an initial assessment and then refer you to a specialist.
*Source: GoToSee.co.uk
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