How much care do you give to your mental health ? (3)
People with personality disorders often don’t realize their thoughts and behaviours are problematic.
But what is a personality disorder?
Clinical psychologists defined personality disorder as a mental health condition that involves long-lasting, all-encompassing, disruptive patterns of thinking, behavior, mood and relating to others.
These patterns, they said , cause a person significant distress and/or impair their ability to function.
According to them, there are 10 types of personality disorders, each with different characteristics and symptoms.
Personality is vital to defining who we are as individuals. It involves a unique blend of traits — including attitudes, thoughts and behaviors — as well as how we express these traits in our interactions with others and with the world around us.
Personality disorders may cause distorted perceptions of reality, abnormal behaviours and distress across various aspects of life, including work, relationships and social functioning.
Additionally, people with a personality disorder may not recognize their troubling behaviours or the negative effect they have on others.
The 10 types of personality disorders, experts hinted, are categorised into three main clusters Each cluster has different symptoms in common.
Cluster A personality disorder which involves unusual and eccentric thinking or behaviours.
These include:
Paranoid personality disorder: The main feature of this condition is paranoia, which is a relentless mistrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason for suspicion. People with paranoid personality disorder often believe others are trying to demean, harm or threaten them.
Cluster B personality disorder involves dramatic and erratic behaviours. People with these types of conditions display intense, unstable emotions and impulsive behaviours.
Another is Cluster C known as antisocial personality disorder. People with this disorder show a lack of respect toward others and don’t follow socially accepted norms or rules.
They may break the law or cause physical or emotional harm to others around them. They may refuse to take responsibility for their behaviours and/or display disregard for the negative consequences of their actions.
Next is Borderline personality disorder. This condition is marked by difficulty with emotional regulation, resulting in low self-esteem, mood swings, impulsive behaviours and subsequent relationship difficulties.
There is also Histrionic personality disorder. This condition is marked by intense, unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. For people with histrionic personality disorder, their self-esteem depends on the approval of others and doesn’t come from a true feeling of self-worth.
They have an overwhelming desire to be noticed by others, and may display dramatic and/or inappropriate behaviors to get attention.
Who do personality disorders affect?
Experts said anyone can have a personality disorder. But different types of personality disorders affect people differently.
Most personality disorders, they hinted begin in the teen years when their personalitities further develops and matures. As a result, almost all people diagnosed with personality disorders are above the age of 18.
“One exception to this is antisocial personality disorder — approximately 80% of people with this disorder will have started to show symptoms by the age of 11.
“Antisocial personality disorders are more likely to affect people assigned male at birth.
“Borderline, histrionic and dependent personality disorders are more likely to affect people assigned female at birth”.
To be continued….
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