Personality is the way of thinking, feeling and behaving that makes a person different from other people. An individual’s personality is influenced by experiences, environment (surroundings, life situations) and inherited characteristics. A person’s personality typically stays the same over time. A personality disorder is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that deviates from the expectations of the culture, causes distress or problems functioning, and lasts over time.

A personality disorder is a type of mental disorder in which you have a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning and behaving. A person with a personality disorder has trouble perceiving and relating to situations and people. This causes significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities, work and school. Without treatment, personality disorders can be long-lasting.

TYPES

Personality disorders are classified into three different clusters depending on similar characteristics these disorders shares:

Cluster A: Suspicious

· Paranoid personality disorder. A paranoid personality person will experience mistrust or suspiciousness over other people’s intentions and motives

· Schizoid personality disorder. People with schizoid personality disorder usually experience social withdrawal. They can have trouble interpreting social cues, causing them to seem emotionally distant.

· Schizotypal personality disorder. People with schizotypal personality disorder often believe that they can influence other people or events with their thoughts.

Cluster B: Emotional and impulsive

· Antisocial personality disorder. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to manipulate or treat others without expressing remorse for their actions. They may engage in dishonest and antisocial behavior.

· Borderline personality disorder. People with borderline personality disorder usually feel empty and abandoned, regardless of family or community support. They also tend to engage in risky and impulsive behavior (such as binge drinking and gambling), disregard for others feelings, lying behavior, and anger issues.

· Histrionic personality disorder. People with histrionic personality disorder frequently try to gain more attention by being dramatic or provocative. They may be easily influenced by other people and are sensitive to criticism or disapproval.

· Narcissistic personality disorder. People with narcissistic personality disorder are usually self-centered and often feel they are more important and special than anyone else, with high need for admiration. They tend to exaggerate their achievements and may brag about their attractiveness or success.

Cluster C: Anxious

· Avoidant personality disorder. People with avoidant personality disorder often experience feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, or unattractiveness. They usually avoid situations that can make them feel indifferent and may dwell on criticism from others and may also avoid participating in new activities or making new friends.

· Dependent personality disorder. People with dependent personality disorder depend on other people to meet their emotional and physical needs. They usually avoid being alone and regularly need reassurance when making decisions. They are also found to be highly submissive.

· Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder have an overwhelming need for arranging everything in proper order. They strongly adhere to rules and regulations, and they feel extremely uncomfortable when perfection isn’t achieved.

SYMPTOMS

They should also cause significant distress and impairment in at least two of the following areas:

· Way of perceiving or interpreting themselves and other people

· Way they act when dealing with other people

· The appropriateness of their emotional responses

· Their control over their impulses and actions

CAUSES

· Heredity/ genes

· Environmental factors

· Chemical imbalances in brain functioning

TREATMENT

1) Psychotherapy

· Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

· Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

· Schema-focused therapy

· Psychoanalytic therapy

2) Medication

· antidepressants to treat depression

· antipsychotics to treat aggressive symptoms

· antianxiety medications to treat anxiety