Personality Disorders

Difficulties We Work With

What is a Personality Disorder?

A personality disorder refers to a long-term pattern of thinking, behaviour and emotion that is considered unhealthy, extreme and inflexible. People with personality disorders often find it difficult to change their behaviour or adapt to different situations and relate to other people. This can cause distress and make it difficult to function in everyday life, causing significant problems in forming/maintaining positive relationships, work, school, and social life.

There are several types of personality disorders; however the one commonality is that their symptoms are severe enough to impact many different areas of life.

Although each personality disorder is characterised by different symptoms, most will cause people to have relationship difficulties, such as:

They may not be able to form close, stable relationships
They may act in ways that seem rude or cold
Family members and others may find them upsetting, confusing, or frustrating

Symptoms usually begin in adolescence. Sometimes symptoms get better as people get older and some people have difficulties throughout life. The symptoms depend on the type of personality disorder. However, many of the symptoms of different personality disorders overlap. Common signs of a personality disorder include:

Strange or erratic behaviour
Suspicion and distrust
Taking risks
Extreme mood swings (angry outbursts)
Difficulty with relationships
Problems at school or work
Need for instant gratification

Many people have some of these traits, but they do not necessarily have a diagnosis of personality disorder. People with personality disorders may be unaware that they have a problem as their way of thinking and behaving seems natural to them. And they also may find it difficult to seek help.