Personality disorders
Personality disorders are disorders where a person’s behavior or said person is unable to function within the dictates of the society or culture at that time. The American Psychiatry Association defines personality disorders as “an enduring pattern of inner experience or behavior that deviates from the expectations of the culture of the person who exhibits it.”
Personality disorders are divided into three categories. The first category is for those behaviors which are considered to be odd or eccentric in nature. The second category includes behaviors that are extremely emotional or dramatic in nature. The third category includes behaviors that are anxiety or fear driven in nature.
Personality disorders that fall into the first category of behaviors would include both paranoia and schizophrenic disorders. People who are paranoid feel that they are being persecuted and feel that everyone is out to get them. They feel that they cannot trust anyone or any given situation. They frequently withdraw from friends, family and society in general. People who are paranoid are very sensitive individuals and are constantly looking for things that they feel that will back up their ideas of paranoia. Those individuals who are paranoid are very suspicious and guarded by nature and shy away from any type of emotional relationship. This disorder frequently manifests during adolescence or early adulthood.
Schizophrenia is another type of personality disorder which falls into the first category of behaviors. When people are diagnosed with schizophrenia they are noted to very indifferent or cold to everything around them. They have little or no emotion involved in their lives. They shy away from emotional entanglements. Schizophrenics have very few emotions and tend to show little if any emotion in any given situation. They have little or no sexual desire. They are frequently immersed in fantasies and would rather live in a fantasy world. Those who are schizophrenic may alternately live in their “fantasy” world instead of coping in the real world around them. This disorder usually is diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood.
The second category of behavioral issues concentrates on the emotional aspects of behavioral problems. This includes disorders such as antisocial personality disorder. This disorder manifests in early adolescence and can continue on into adulthood. People with this type of disorder frequently care nothing for the rules and regulations around them such as laws or any other authority figures in society. They are frequently impulsive and aggressive in their nature. They are very irritable in their nature and very often show no or little remorse for their behaviors.
Another behavioral disorder in this category is narcissistic personality disorder. Another name for this disorder in society is “The God Complex”.
People who suffer from this disorder frequently are self centered and selfish individuals, caring very little for anyone around them. They are very arrogant, feel that they are more important than they really are, have great sense of entitlement and have little or no empathy for others.
The third category of behavioral disorders are the ones that are driven by fear or anxiety. These disorders include obsessive compulsive personality disorder. This disorder manifests with feelings that things have to be perfect and a person having extreme anxiety if they are not. People who have obsessive compulsive disorder frequently set their lives with a very strict set of rules and routines to try to control the unknowns in their lives. Most who have this disorder are fanatics about cleanliness and organization. It is very common for people with this disorder to form very repetitive behaviors during the day such as doing hand washing over and over. People with this disorder appear to be very anxious and may twitch a lot. This disorder may show up as early as childhood and may be diagnosed up until adulthood.
The next disorder in this category are dependant personality disorders. People with these disorders are very dependant on others around them either family or those in relationships with them. The dependence becomes pronounced as the disease manifests to the point that the person cannot make decisions on their own or even function by themselves without the help of their loved ones.
All of these disorders can be debilitating in a person’s life. However with treatment and medication most of these disorders can be managed with the proper care. If you or a loved one has any of these issues, please consult a psychiatrist or family physician for a consultation.
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