Personality disorders
Personality disorders relate to permanent characteristics of an individual’s personality that cause problems with how they interact with people and react to things emotionally.
Each of us has a personality or group of characteristics (called traits) which influence the way we think, feel and behave and makes us a unique individual.
Someone may be described as having a 'personality disorder' if their personal characteristics cause regular and long term problems in the way they cope with life, interact with other people and in the way in which they can respond emotionally. Personality disorders take many forms, all having particular characteristics, sometimes including psychosis.
Treatments for personality disorders are largely talking therapies which focus on changing coping habits and abnormal emotional reactions. In some cases antipsychotic or antidepressant medications are also an effective part of treatment. It is thought however that some people with these disorders never come into contact with the mental health services.
Up to 13% of the population is believed to have a personality disorder. Personality disorders are found more in younger age groups (25-44 year age group) and are equally common between males and females. Numbers of people with personality disorders are highest in institutional settings like prison.
Inappropriate diagnoses
In Rethinks experience, a diagnosis of personality disorder is sometimes given inappropriately to people who:
- are 'non-compliant' or difficult to engage in treatment
- do not respond to most treatments
- are difficult to 'manage' in settings like a hospital ward
- are difficult to diagnose
Risk of harm
Personality disorders are associated with suicidal behaviour, although this varies considerably between the diagnoses.
People with borderline and antisocial personality disorders are at greatest risk of suicidal behaviours. Because some personality-disordered people engage in impulsive and dangerous behaviour they have an increased mortality rate.
Antisocial personality disorder is associated with a significant excess of unnatural causes of death (largely suicide, accidents and homicides). Antisocial personality disorder is also a risk factor for both sudden violent death and accidental injury. It has also been found to be associated with HIV risk-taking behaviour.
There is also a strong association between personality disorders and substance misuse, and therefore the risks asscoaitred with this type of behaviour.
National Advice Service Factsheets
The information in this section is taken from the NAS factsheet, which you can download in pdf format and print for individual use (external link to Mental Health Shop).
Personality disorders factsheet The NAS has also written a factsheet on personality disorders for carers and families (external link to Mental Health Shop):
Personality disorders for carers
