An individual with a Personality Disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from an average person. Personality disorders develop in adolescents and continue into adulthood. There is no exact cause for a personality disorder known yet. However, it is known to arise from a combination of genes inherited and early environmental influences e.g. abusive or neglectful childhood experiences
Types of Personality Disorder
There are various kinds of personality disorders with symptoms specific to each kind. The different kinds of personality disorders can be grouped into three clusters:
Cluster A:
- Includes paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders
- Difficulty relating to others – lacking the interest to form relationships with others
- Odd and eccentric behaviours
Cluster B:
- Includes borderline, antisocial, histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders
- Difficulty relating to others – there is an interest to form a close relationship with others
- Dramatic, emotional and unpredictable behaviours
Cluster C:
- Includes avoidant, dependent and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders
- Difficulty relating to others – there is an interest to form close relationship with others
- Anxious and fearful thinking and behaviour
Treatment
You can recover from personality disorders. Therapy methods like Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mentalisation – based treatment (MBT), Schema Therapy or Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) can be used to help with understanding your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The length of the treatment process varies depending on the severity of the condition. Medication may be recommended to treat problems associated with personality disorders. Treatment should be personalised to the individual and their specific needs, clinicians at The Other Clinic, including Dr Cherie Chan, can help you understand more about this process.