Personality disorders
Overview
A person with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from the average person.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the type of personality disorder. For example, a person withborderline personality disorder(one of the most common types) tends to have disturbed ways of thinking, impulsive behaviour and problems controlling their emotions. They may have intense but unstable relationships and worry about people abandoning them. A person with antisocial personality traits will typically get easily frustrated and have difficulty controlling their anger. They may blame other people for problems in their life, and be aggressive and violent, upsetting others with their behaviour. Someone with a personality disorder may also have other mental health problems, such asdepressionanddrug addiction. Other types of personality disorder will have different symptoms.
Causes
It's not clear exactly what causes personality disorders, but they're thought to result from a combination of the genes a person inherits and early environmental influences – for example, a distressing childhood experience (such as abuse or neglect).
Treatment
Treatment for a personality disorder usually involves atalking therapyand can also include other types of therapy and medicine. Medicine may be prescribed to treat problems associated with a personality disorder, such asdepression,anxietyorpsychotic symptoms. For example, moderate to severe symptoms of depression might be treated with a type ofantidepressantcalled a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Read more about the treatment forborderline personality disorder.
Prevention
Early intervention for mental health/trauma.
When to see a doctor
See GP if: emotional difficulties affect life/relationships.