What do we know of personality disorders?

Personality is that way of being more or less stable, which allows us to interact with ourselves, with others and with the environment. When this way of being, of relating, is not adaptive us, both personally, and with others or to the environment, appears what we call personality disorder.

Diagnosis of personality disorder

In order to make the diagnosis of personality disorder in psychology it is necessary that there are a number of conditions. The first is that present a stable form of behavior characterized by ways of perceiving and interpreting reality, affection and emotions and interpersonal relationships in a different way to what would be expected culturally. That is, the behavior is not temporary or adaptive to individual life situation nor explained by belonging to a different cultural group of the majority in the environment.

Personality disorders entail greater complexity when diagnosis agree with other mental diseases or medical. In these cases usually it occurs a longer disabled and reduced response to treatments used.

Depending on group personality disorder in which we place ourselves we must direct our differentiation towards psychotic disorders, failures in the distinction of reality, to affective disorders, marked by instability and oscillations, or to anxiety disorders .

Common personality disorders: types

Group A: eccentric

It is characterized by a pervasive pattern of cognition (eg suspected), expression (eg. by a foreign language) and relationship with others (eg. insulation) abnormal.

• Paranoid disorder of the personality
• schizoid personality disorder
• schizotypal personality disorder

Group B: Dramatic and / or emotional

They are characterized by a pervasive pattern of violation of social norms (eg. the criminal) behavior, impulsive behavior, excessive emotionality and grandiosity. It has often externalize their features, leading to temper tantrums, self-injurious behavior and outbursts of rage.

• Borderline personality disorder.
• Antisocial personality disorder
• histrionic personality disorder
• narcissistic personality disorder

Group C: anxious or fearful

This group is characterized by a pervasive pattern of abnormal fears, including social, separation and need for control.

• Avoidant personality disorder
• Dependent personality disorder
• obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Personality disorders Treatment

Often the use of psychotropic drugs symptomatic depending on the main symptoms of the moment is necessary. All drugs must be prescribed and monitored by psychiatrists.

Jointly and inseparably associated psychotherapy should be used so that the functional recovery of the sick person is provided. The aim of psychotherapy is to bring the patient to better manage their thinking so that enable you to make contact with reality without the distortions that can cause great suffering to him and his environment and participate in society more successfully .

Edited by Roser Berner Ubasos.