Personality Disorder Symptoms, Causes and Effects
Personality Disorder Symptoms, Causes and Effects
Personality disorders are a type of mental illness that, if left undetected and untreated, can have serious consequences in one’s life and relationships. Personality disorders allow people to display a wide range of emotions and behaviours that are harmful to relationships, prompting friends and family to retreat from them. Give us a call at to learn more about treatment options if you or someone you know has a personality issue.
What Are the Types of Personality Disorders?
There are several main groups of personality disorders, each with its own distinguishing feature. Disorders can coexist, and symptoms might overlap. Suicide can be caused by personality problems; according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 90 percent of those who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental illness. The following are the several categories of personality disorders, according to the New York Times:
Paranoid Personality Disorder
People who suffer from paranoid personality disorder believe that everyone is conspiring against them. Unlike schizophrenia, the disease rarely progresses to full-blown psychosis.
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Patients with this illness are more likely to shun social interaction and ignore social cues. Introverts occasionally love socialising, therefore the problem extends beyond introversion.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
People with antisocial personality disorder are known for their disrespect for other people’s rights and feelings, and they frequently commit criminal crimes for selfish gain.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Patients with borderline personality disorder have unpredictable emotions and mood swings. It does not frequently recur in cycles, unlike bipolar illness.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Acting in an extremely dramatic or emotional manner, usually in an attempt to attract attention, is a symptom of this illness.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder, named after a figure from Greek mythology, causes sufferers to have an inflated sense of self or importance, frequently at the expense of others.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
People who suffer from avoidant personality disorder are frequently highly shy and insecure. They are apprehensive about confronting others about their issues or expressing their views.
Dependent Personality Disorder
Dependent personality disorder makes it difficult for people to function without the help or encouragement of others.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
The primary symptom of this illness is a compulsion to engage in repetitive actions and mental processes.
What Causes a Personality Disorder?
Personality disorders are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental variables, including a family history of mental illness and upbringing. People who grow up in a disturbed home environment are more likely to acquire personality disorders later in life. For example, narcissistic personality disorder can be exacerbated by a lack of constructive criticism or excessive adulation. It is not an exact science to determine what causes a personality disorder, and it requires knowledge of a person’s background and family history.
What Are the Signs of a Personality Disorder?
Excessive behaviour, dramatic or unpredictable conduct, and anxious or afraid behaviour are the three categories of behaviours that characterise personality disorders. Atypical behaviours can indicate a condition, but only a professional evaluation can provide a more precise diagnosis.
Emotional Symptoms of Personality Disorders
According to the Mayo Clinic, the emotional symptoms of personality disorders differ between diseases and manifest themselves to varied degrees in each person. People with avoidant personality disorder, for example, have a strong aversion to conflict, which allows others to take advantage of them. Poor impulse control and a proclivity for substance misuse are two further signs to look out for.
Physical Symptoms of Personality Disorders
Personality problems affect the intellect, but they can also cause people to ignore their physical well-being. For example, someone suffering from schizophrenia or a similar condition may ignore personal hygiene or suffer from insomnia as a result of frightening ideas, but someone suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder may have raw skin as a result of excessive bathing. A complete psychiatric evaluation is usually required because a personality problem is difficult to identify without the requisite medical background.
Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of a Personality Disorder
Personality disorders have a number of long-term and short-term repercussions on the mind. They include the following, but are not limited to:
Difficulty in relationships
- Withdrawal from socialization has become more pronounced.
- Swings in mood
- Depression
- Suicidal ideation
- Suicide attempt
- Lack of care causes a decline in physical health.
- Is there a test or a self-assessment that I could take?
- Self-diagnosis of a psychological disorder is frequently impossible due to inherent bias and inability to accurately record one’s own symptoms. Even if you tried to diagnose someone else, you’d almost certainly have a bias. Furthermore, face-to-face engagement with a psychologist who can detect illnesses through an interview and long-term observation is required. Despite the fact that there are various tests available on the Internet, none of them can provide you with a definitive or correct result.
Medication: Personality-Modifying and Mood-Stabilizing Drug Options
There are medications available to help with the treatment of personality disorders. Medication should only be taken with the advice of a doctor.
Personality-Stabilizing Drugs: Possible Options
Mood stabilisers can assist with some of the more severe symptoms of personality disorders, but they don’t work right away, and the patient will almost certainly need behavioural or cognitive therapy as well. Prescriptions are provided for a variety of medications. Depression is treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft are some of the most well-known brand names. Lithium pills and other mood stabilisers are often used.
Medication Side Effects
Medication for personality disorders can have a variety of side effects, including but not limited to:
- libido fluctuations
- Weight gain or loss
- Insomnia
- Drug Addiction, Dependence, and Withdrawal Fatigue Agitation
Addiction to drugs can either increase the symptoms of a personality issue or develop a new problem. Someone whose illness causes them to lose contact with loved ones and harms their relationships may resort to drugs for solace. When a person with a personality disorder uses drugs as an outlet for the stressors of daily life, withdrawal symptoms may occur due to the body’s past dependence on the drug.
Medication Overdose
To have the same effect, a person who has become habituated to using drugs, such as prescription medicines, will usually begin taking a gradually increasing dose. This can result in death in extreme circumstances. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 38,329 persons died from prescription drug overdoses in 2010, with opioid-based medications accounting for the majority of these deaths.
Depression and Personality Disorders
To have the same effect, a person who has become habituated to using drugs, such as prescription medicines, will usually begin taking a gradually increasing dose. This can result in death in extreme circumstances. In 2010, 38,329 persons died from prescription medication overdoses, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, with majority of them due to t Depression can be a primary symptom or a subsequent symptom of a variety of personality disorders. Depression can be caused by a lack of social connection or a loss of interest in hobbies. It frequently occurs in conjunction with other personality disorders, such as avoidant personality disorder or bipolar disorder phases. o Opioid-based analgesics
Dual Diagnosis: Addiction and Personality Disorders
A personality disorder frequently coexists with substance misuse and addiction. According to a study published in BioMed Central, 46% of patients with a substance use disorder have at least one personality issue; however, symptoms can overlap and be difficult to identify. When a patient is accepted to a drug rehab clinic, the staff will frequently do dual diagnosis assessments to evaluate whether the patient has a comorbid disease and the appropriate course of therapy for personality disorder.
Getting Help for a Personality Disorder
People rarely seek treatment for a personality problem unless the effects are severe or unless someone intervenes. This is owing to the inherent bias in self-diagnosing personality disorders; some people may simply be in denial about their emotional problems, while others may perceive their difficulties as a natural aspect of their nature rather than a disease.
Although medication is an important part of treatment, many personality-altering medications are only available with a prescription. For an evaluation, you’ll need to see a doctor or a mental health expert. Following that, you or a loved one will be provided medicine and put on a treatment plan.
The other aspect of treatment is mental processes. Negative mental patterns can be addressed through behavioural therapy or by attending support groups for persons recovering from similar disorders. You can reach out to us at for help with a personality issue for yourself or someone you know. Our operators are available at all times and can direct you to resources and therapy. It’s never too late to make a difference.