Personality Disorders By: Derrica Watts, Kimberly DeHart, Nick Harrist, and Faith King

A Beginning Explanation Personality Disorder is a group of centered mental illnesses. They can involve long-term, and or short-term patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are favored as unhealthy and inflexible. Those with Personality Disorder tend to have issues in the work and social groups. They also have issues dealing with everyday stresses and problems. The cause is solely unknown, but genes and childhood experiences may tie in as a factor.

Types of Personality Disorders There are 10 different types of Personality Disorders, each in a specific ‘cluster’ (Suspicion, Emotional and Impulsiveness, and Anxiousness). Suspicion: Paranoid- One who doesn’t trust anyone for unjustified reasons. Schizoid- Usually uninterested in any social or personal relationships, lack of emotional response Schizotypal- Can express oneself with unusual words, and are usually anxious in social situations and have “Magical” thinking. Antisocial- often have problems with rules and the law and some lie a lot. Emotional and Impulsiveness: Borderline- One who shows impulsive behavior, unstable moods, intense fear of being abandoned Histrionic- One who is constantly needing attention, is easily influenced by others, and can be overemotional. Narcissistic- Usually have a fragile self-esteem, one puts their needs in front of others, fantasies about power, and oblivious to other’s feelings) Anxiousness: Avoidant- One who is sensitive to criticism, feels inferior, avoids new activities or meeting strangers, and has a strong fear of disapproval. Dependent- Usually dependent on others, clingy, has lack of self- confidence, difficulty disagreeing with others Obsessive Compulsive- Extreme Perfectionists, usually desire to be incontrol, chooses work over friends.

What can cause Personality Disorder? Genetics Childhood trauma Verbal abuse High reactivity

How to treat Personality Disorder How you can treat Personality Disorder is having lots of Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means. Most immediate and quick ways to somewhat treat Personality Disorder is hospitalization.

Drugs to treat Personality Disorder Antidepressants. Antidepressants may be useful if you have a depressed mood, anger, impulsivity, irritability or hopelessness, which may be associated with personality disorders. Mood stabilizers. As their name suggests, mood stabilizers can help even out mood swings or reduce irritability, impulsivity and aggression. Antipsychotic medications. Also called neuroleptics, these may be helpful if your symptoms include losing touch with reality (psychosis) or in some cases if you have anxiety or anger problems. Anti-anxiety medications. These may help if you have anxiety, agitation or insomnia. But in some cases, they can increase impulsive behavior, so they're avoided in some personality disorders.

Interesting Facts Probably about 1 in 10 people has a PD. Personality disorders aren’t diagnosed until 18 years of age because our personality is still in development up to this point. People with a personality disorder do things that are not thought of as normal. Almost 1 out of 5 young adults have a personality disorder, but it gets worse when you use drugs or alcohol.

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