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Personality Disorders
Living with a personality disorder can be incredibly painful. Our mental health facility in New Jersey is well-staffed and equipped to treat many personality disorders.
Personality disorders are characterized by long-standing patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that interfere with one’s ability to function in social and work settings. These mental health disorders can be highly distressing, often harming an individual’s ability to develop meaningful relationships with others and achieve their goals.
At our mental health treatment facility in New Jersey, we specialize in providing comprehensive care for individuals struggling with personality disorders. To help those living with the effects of personality disorders, our therapists are experienced in providing a non-judgmental space to help clients learn how to manage symptoms and create more meaningful connections in life.
To do so, our mental health programs provide tailored guidance and support through individual counseling and group therapy services. During therapy, you can develop healthier coping strategies, gain insight into your experiences, and cultivate greater self-awareness.
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What Are Personality Disorders?
A personality disorder is a long-term pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that cause significant distress and impair a person’s ability to function in various aspects of life. These disorders affect the way individuals perceive themselves, others, and the world around them. They can lead to problems in relationships, work, and overall daily functioning.
There are different types of personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. Each disorder has its own specific symptoms and challenges, but all can be treated and managed with the right support and interventions.
Who Is at Risk for Personality Disorders?
The risk of developing a personality disorder can be influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. While everyone has unique personality traits, those who develop a personality disorder may experience extreme or maladaptive versions of these traits.
Genetic factors
Genetics can play a role in the development of personality disorders. Studies have shown that certain genetic variations may increase the likelihood of developing specific types of personality disorders, such as antisocial or borderline personality disorder. For this reason, there may be a hereditary component, as personality disorders tend to be more common in individuals with family members who have similar disorders or other mental health conditions. However, genetics alone cannot determine whether someone will develop a personality disorder.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors can also contribute to the development of a personality disorder. Routine exposure to dysfunctional relationship dynamics can impact a young person’s perception of themselves and others, leading to the development of maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns. For this reason, chaotic or unstable family life during childhood, poor relationships with parents or caregivers, and peer influences can contribute to the development of a personality disorder. Stressful life events, such as the loss of a loved one or financial struggles, can also trigger symptoms.
Childhood Trauma
Psychological factors such as adverse childhood experiences and unhealthy coping mechanisms can influence the development of a personality disorder. For example, a child who experiences trauma in their early years may develop maladaptive coping mechanisms as a way to deal with the pain. For this reason, experiences of abuse, neglect, and trauma during childhood are significantly linked to personality disorders. Research indicates a disproportionate number of those with borderline personality disorder were sexually abused as children.
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Types of Personality Disorders
There are many types of personality disorders, which often occur due to trauma or brain development issues. Personality disorders span from mild to severe and can affect how you interact, respond, and perceive the world around you.
Personality disorders are separated into three clusters, each with unique characteristics, including:
Cluster A
In general, Cluster A personalities are considered “odd” or “eccentric.” People with Cluster A personality disorders might have difficulty forming relationships and understanding social norms. They may also experience delusions or hallucinations, which can lead to paranoia.
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Key features: Mistrust and suspicion
Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) is characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others, in which even the smallest interactions can lead to feelings of persecution or betrayal. They often misinterpret someone else’s motives as hostile or malevolent, which can lead to difficulty in relationships. Likewise, those with PPD may have an extreme sensitivity to criticism and view the world as an unfriendly and dangerous place.
Common symptoms among those with PPD include:
- Mistrust of others
- Consistent misinterpretation of events
- Perceived personal attacks
- Obsession with the concept of loyalty and trust
- Difficulty forming close relationships
- Struggles to share feelings or confide in others
- Hypervigilance
Due to their paranoid mindset, they often go to extreme lengths to protect themselves from perceived threats and are highly guarded in their interactions with other people. They often misinterpret events and interactions, believing that people are gossiping about them or planning to harm them. This often results in difficulties when expressing emotions, such as love or trust, for fear of betrayal and hurt. As a result, they may have difficulty forming close relationships.
PDD’s pattern of fear and hypervigilance can cause people to constantly scan their environment for threats and dangers. As a result, PPD often leads to a cycle of anxiety, stress, headaches, restlessness, and a feeling of always being “on edge”. In addition, they may suffer from panic attacks, insomnia, or nightmares due to their constant worrying. The combination of these symptoms can affect daily functioning and quality of life.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Key features: Eccentric thoughts and behavior
Schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) is characterized by distorted thinking, magical thinking, unusual beliefs, and odd behavior. In general, people with STPD struggle to form meaningful relationships and prefer being alone to being with others as a result. Those with STPD are aware enough to acknowledge that their thoughts and behaviors are seen as odd but struggle to adjust their behaviors accordingly.
- Difficulties in conversation
- Preferring to spend time alone
- Avoiding eye contact
- Lack of emotion during social interactions
- Overly suspicious or paranoid about other people's motives
- Intense fear of being criticized or rejected
Due to the nature of the disorder, people with STPD may find it difficult to form meaningful relationships. They often have difficulty trusting other people and may find it hard to interpret cues from social interactions. As a result, those who struggle with schizotypal personality disorder often feel more comfortable around strangers than close friends or family members.
In light of this, many people with schizotypal personality disorder feel unhappy with their lack of connections, but the thought of forming relationships can be overwhelming for them. This can cause them to feel isolated or misunderstood which can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and depression.
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Key features: Eccentric thoughts and behavior
Schizoid personality disorder (ScPD) is characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships and an emotional detachment from others. People with ScPD often do not seek or enjoy close relationships, have difficulty expressing emotions, and prefer solitary activities to those that involve other people.
Common symptoms among those with ScPD include:
- Social isolation
- Limit emotional expressiveness
- Prefer solitary activities
- Lack of empathy
- Disinterest in relationships
- Uninterested in praise
- Unaffected by criticism
- Difficulty expressing emotions
Individuals with ScPD are often indifferent to rewards or punishments from others, which can lead to difficulties with school or work. Similarly, those with ScPD often have trouble meeting expectations and goals due to their apathetic attitude. Due to the apathetic demeanor in ScPD, this disorder often seems like a lack of motivation, carelessness, or disinterest.
People with schizoid personality disorder often prefer to spend time alone and find it difficult to express emotions, even if they may feel them deeply. These difficulties can lead to social isolation, which can harm mental and emotional well-being. ScPD can also cause difficulty in forming meaningful relationships due to a lack of emotional responsiveness and empathy.
Cluster B
People with Cluster B personality disorders can be overly dramatic and attention-seeking. They may also lack empathy and disregard other people’s boundaries.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Key features: Disregard for social norms, manipulative
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is characterized by a pattern of manipulation, exploitation, and aggression. People with ASPD are indifferent to the consequences of their actions and display no remorse for their behavior. For this reason, they often disregard the rights of others and may violate laws.
Common symptoms among those with ASPD include:
- A disregard for laws and social norms
- Lack of concern for the safety of oneself or others
- Irritable
- Aggressive
- Deceitful
- Impulsive
- Manipulative
Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may display irresponsible behavior, such as failing to show up for work, stealing from employers or friends, and getting into physical fights. Additionally, they may use deceit or manipulation to get what they want out of others.
Due to their overarching indifference, ASPD is often associated with substance abuse and difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships. It is also important to note that individuals with ASPD are not necessarily violent. However, they do lack the empathy and an understanding of social boundaries that many people take for granted.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Key features: Impulsive, poor self-image, emotional dysregulation
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by unstable self-image, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. People with BPD will often engage in moments of intense emotion that are followed by extreme reactions or behaviors. Their difficulty in managing powerful emotions often harms their ability to maintain healthy relationships.
Common symptoms among those with BPD include:
- Fear of abandonment
- Need for external validation
- Unstable relationships
- Low impulse control
- Rapid mood swings
- Unstable sense of self
People with borderline personality disorder have an intense fear of abandonment. This makes it incredibly difficult to cope with perceived rejection, criticism, or disapproval. When a situation triggers their fear response, people with BPD feel intense sadness or anger. Their highly sensitive nature and lack of emotional control can lead to abrupt changes in mood that quickly shift from one extreme to the other. These volatile emotional outbursts are often misinterpreted and cause significant distress to their family, friends, and peers.
People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder often seek validation from others, but they lack the tools to effectively communicate their needs. When they don’t feel heard or understood, they have difficulty calming down or returning to a calm state. They may also experience feelings of shame due to their inability to advocate for themselves, leading to further distress. For this reason, BPD commonly co-occurs with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Key features: Attention seeking, excessive emotionality
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is characterized by excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behaviors. People with HPD may be overly dramatic, excitable, and flirtatious. Their intense need for approval or recognition often results in inappropriate sexual behavior or seductive language.
Common symptoms among those with HPD include:
- Attention seeking
- Exaggerated or shallow emotions
- Inappropriately seductive
- Dramatic
- Enthusiastic
- Flirtatious
- Highly suggestible
People with histrionic personality disorder are driven by a need to be the center of attention and can become depressed when they are not. Histrionic personalities crave novelty and often alter themselves to match the latest trends. Since they are easily bored, they frequently change their job and social circle. They are also very sensitive to the reactions of others and are quick to victimize their position in a conflict. In romantic relationships, they often use emotional manipulation and seductiveness in an attempt to control their partner.
While HPD is often associated with emotional manipulation, it also makes those with the disorder highly susceptible to the influence of others. People with HPD often trust too quickly and devote themselves to people whom they think will solve all of their problems. For this reason, people may become very dependent on others and have difficulty functioning independently. Due to their lack of direction, HPD commonly co-occurs with other personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Key features: Self-grandiosity, lack of empathy
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by a heightened sense of importance, a need for praise, and a lack of empathy. Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) have an inflated view of themselves and an intense need for external recognition. They may be overly sensitive to criticism and display grandiose behavior or attitudes, such as bragging about accomplishments or expecting special privileges.
Common symptoms among those with NPD include:
- Grandiose sense of self
- Sense of entitlement
- Need for admiration and recognition
- Negativity towards others
- Emotion dysregulation
- Lack of empathy
- Exploitative
People with narcissistic personality disorder are driven by a need to be seen and admired, often disregarding the feelings of those around them in pursuit of their own gratification. In general, they often display grandiose behavior or attitudes, such as bragging about accomplishments or expecting special privileges.
They are often overly sensitive to criticism and prone to outbursts of anger when they feel slighted or criticized. On the other hand, those with NPD show little to no concern for how those around them may feel about their behavior. It is common for individuals with NPD to engage in manipulative tactics such as gaslighting and blame-shifting in order to maintain control or avoid accountability.
Cluster C
People with Cluster C personality disorders tend to be anxious which results in significant difficulties forming relationships due to an overwhelming fear of rejection and abandonment. They might also struggle with perfectionism, excessive worrying, or compulsions.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Key features: Avoidance, rejection sensitivity
Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) is characterized by feelings of extreme social inhibition, inadequacy, and anxiety. People with AvPD have a fear of rejection and may avoid social interaction altogether or only participate when they feel it is safe to do so. Due to their difficulties connecting with others, people with AvPD often have low self-esteem and see themselves as inferior to others. They rarely, if ever, take risks or try new things because they are afraid of failure.
Common symptoms among those with AvPD include:
- Fear of rejection or abandonment
- Overly sensitive to criticism
- Avoiding social interaction or activities
- Difficulty forming close relationships
- Feeling socially inept, inferior, and unappealing
- Extreme loneliness and isolation
People with AvPD struggle to cope with their feelings and often end up avoiding their own emotions. This can lead to feelings of emptiness and a distorted sense of self. This can be extremely difficult for an individual to manage on their own. For this reason, it is common for those with AvPD to struggle with depression, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance abuse.
Dependent Personality Disorder
Key features: Submissiveness, fear of abandonment
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) is a mental health condition in which people feel extremely dependent on others. Often, people with DPD rely heavily on other people for their self-worth and emotional security. As a result, dependent personality disorder can interfere with the ability to have healthy relationships and maintain an independent lifestyle.
Common symptoms among those with DPD include:
- Extreme fear of abandonment or separation
- Excessive need for reassurance
- Need to be taken care of by others
- Inability to disagree, regardless of personal beliefs
- Indecisive
- Submissive
- Helpless
Due to an overwhelming fear of being alone, people with dependent personality disorder often give up control of their own lives to maintain relationships. They may find it difficult to make even small decisions without guidance and may become overly dependent on others for direction. People may also experience intense feelings of abandonment when a loved one is absent, often leading to excessive clinginess or anxiously seeking out reassurance.
While the person with DPD can be very warm and loving towards those they depend upon, they may also fear being rejected if they assert themselves. To cope with this fear, they may manipulate those around them to gain approval and validation of their worth.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
Key features: Perfectionism, rigidity
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is the most common personality disorder. People with OCPD tend to be rigid and inflexible in their thinking and behavior. They are often preoccupied with details, rules, and orderliness, and may not be able to relax or let go of control. As a result, they may refuse to delegate tasks and struggle to trust that others can complete work properly.
Common symptoms among those with OCPD include:
- Fear of failure, risks, and change
- Excessive devotion to work and productivity
- Denial of leisure activities and relationships
- Perfectionism interferes with the completion of tasks
- Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, and order
- Inflexible morals, ethics, or values
- Excessive reluctance to delegate tasks
- Unreasonable expectations of self and others
- Overly critical of self and others
- Rigid and stubborn
Those with OCPD have a tendency to be competitive, creating a sense of toxic competition with everyone around them. While they can be quick to judge others, they refuse to hear any criticism that does not align with their own point of view. With that being said, people with this disorder are often overly critical of themselves and others, often pushing themselves and others too hard.
People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder struggle to cope with stress in healthy ways, leading to bouts of anger, frustration, or depression. This is constantly fed by their perfectionism, resulting in chronic dissatisfaction with anything less than absolute perfection. Due to their rigidity and inability to adapt, they struggle with feelings of inferiority, fear of failure, or feelings of inadequacy.
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Treating Personality Disorders
Mental health treatment for personality disorders usually involves a combination of therapy and medication, depending on the severity of the disorder. In general, the principles for the treatment of one specific personality disorder are similar to those for all other personality disorders.
To effectively treat a personality disorder, it is important to participate in a multidisciplinary approach to mental health treatment. For instance, a comprehensive mental health program can provide an evidence-based psychopharmacological approach to help manage symptoms associated with personality disorders.
Likewise, quality mental health programs also provide integrative individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy to help individuals work through their challenges in a supportive environment. In doing so, treatment providers can work to create an atmosphere of safety and trust so that our clients can feel comfortable sharing their stories and exploring how they can make positive changes in their lives.
Psychotherapy For Personality Disorders
Psychotherapy services can people with personality disorders understand their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as learn healthier ways of functioning in relationships and society.
Common anxiety disorder therapies include:
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Supportive psychotherapy
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy
- Mentalization-based treatment
- Transference-focused psychotherapy
- Schema-focused therapy
- Group therapy
- Social Skills Training
Finding a therapist who is experienced in treating personality disorders can make all the difference in your treatment plan and recovery. It is important to ask questions and feel comfortable with the person you choose to talk with.
Many who struggle with a personality disorder may struggle to build trust and connect with a therapist at first, but it is worth the effort. This is because therapy can not only help manage symptoms of a personality disorder but can also help people to better understand themselves and others. With the right support and treatment, you can learn how to manage your symptoms and work towards having healthier relationships in the long term.
Medication Management For Personality Disorders
During treatment for personality disorders, psychiatric medication can be helpful in managing symptoms of personality disorders. Psychiatric medication management can also provide dual diagnosis treatments for other mental health disorders like depression and anxiety that often co-occur with personality disorders.
Common medications used to treat personality disorders include:
- Antidepressants
- Atypical antipsychotics/second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs)
- Mood stabilizers
- Anxiolytics
These medications can provide relief for those struggling to manage symptoms associated with personality disorders. In doing so, you can better focus on the other treatments like talk therapy, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes. It is important to understand that medication alone is not a cure, but rather one piece of an effective treatment plan for managing personality disorders.
It is also important to remember that everyone reacts differently to medications so it can take time to find the right combination of medications and dosages with your doctor’s help. With the right medication, lifestyle changes, and therapy, living with a personality disorder does not have to be unmanageable.
Personality Disorder Recovery Options
At Footprints to Recovery Mental Health, we provide a comprehensive range of services to support individuals with personality disorders and other mental health conditions. Our treatment approach involves evidence-based therapies and medication to effectively manage symptoms of anxiety. Our dedicated team of mental health professionals is committed to helping you follow the path to recovery. We offer unique levels of care to ensure that everyone can find a safe and effective treatment plan tailored to their specific needs. Overcoming the challenges associated with anxiety disorder is our shared goal.
Treatment for Personality Disorders at Footprints to Recovery Mental Health
Treatment for personality disorders at Footprints to Recovery Mental Health includes a wide range of evidence-based treatment modalities as part of our comprehensive approach to care. Our mental health services work to help individuals with personality disorders gain an understanding of the underlying issues that may be contributing to their symptoms.
During treatment for personality disorders, our licensed and experienced clinicians will work with you on coping strategies for dealing with life’s challenges in a more adaptive way. By creating an ongoing partnership with our mental health professionals, we seek to empower you to take control of your mental health in a safe, comfortable environment.
To learn more about how we can help you or someone you know begin healing from the effects of a personality disorder, please contact us today. Our dedicated team is ready to assist you 24/7 at 888-903-4385.
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