What Is Personality Disorder?
Those with Teen Personality Disorder have a rigid, unhealthy way of thinking, behaving, and relating to people and situations, including themselves. These teen’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are eccentric from social expectations and appropriateness and because of that, often cause friction and limitations in relationships as well as responsibilities. Because the teens aren’t necessarily aware that their thoughts and behaviors are askew, they may not be aware and/or believe that they have a Personality Disorder.
What It Looks Like
There are a number of different types of Personality Disorders, which include specific symptoms, but there are some common symptoms that are present amidst all Personality Disorders. These symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Extreme and frequent mood swings
- Difficulty in relationships
- Unpredictable behavior
- A need for immediate gratification
- Inability to control impulses
- Substance Abuse issues
One person may meet the criteria for several different types of personality disorder, while a wide range of people may fit the criteria for the same disorder, despite having very different personalities.
Paranoid Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Find it very difficult to trust other people, believing they will use you, or take advantage of you
- Find it hard to confide in people, even your friends
- Watch others closely, looking for signs of betrayal or hostility
- Suspect that your partner is being unfaithful, with no evidence
- Read threats and danger – which others don’t see – into everyday situations
Schizoid Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Be uninterested in forming close relationships with other people including your family
- Feel that relationships interfere with your freedom and tend to cause problems
- Prefer to be alone with your own thoughts
- Choose to live your life without interference from others
- Get little pleasure from life
- Have little interest in sex or intimacy
- Be emotionally cold towards others
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Find making close relationships extremely difficult
- Think and express yourself in ways that others find ‘odd’, using unusual words or phrases
- Behave in ways that others find eccentric
- Believe that you can read minds or that you have special powers such as a ‘sixth sense’
- Feel anxious and tense with others who do not share these beliefs
- Feel very anxious and paranoid in social situations
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
You are likely to:
- Act impulsively and recklessly, often without considering the consequences for yourself or for other people
- Behave dangerously and sometimes illegally
- Behave in ways that are unpleasant for others
- Do things – even though they may hurt people – to get what you want, putting your needs above theirs
- Feel no sense of guilt if you have mistreated others
- Be irritable and aggressive and get into fights easily
- Be very easily bored and you may find it difficult to hold down a job for long
- Believe that only the strongest survive and that you must do whatever it takes to lead a successful life, because if you don’t grab opportunities, others will
- Have a criminal record
- Have had a diagnosis of conduct disorder before the age of 15
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
You are likely to:
- Feel that you don’t have a strong sense of who you really are, and others may describe you as very changeable
- Suffer from mood swings, switching from one intense emotion to another very quickly, often with angry outbursts
- Have brief psychotic episodes, hearing voices or seeing things that others don’t
- Do things on impulse, which you later regret
- Have episodes of harming yourself, and think about taking your own life
- Be irritable and aggressive and get into fights easily
- Have a history of stormy or broken relationships
- Have a tendency to cling on to very damaging relationships, because you are terrified of being alone
The term ‘borderline’ is difficult to make sense of, and some people prefer the term ‘emotionally unstable personality disorder’ or ‘emotional instability disorder’, which is sometimes used in place of ‘borderline personality disorder’. (Also see information about borderline personality disorder.)
Histrionic Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Feel very uncomfortable if you are not the center of attention
- Feel much more at ease as the ‘life and soul of the party’
- Feel that you have to entertain people
- Flirt or behave provocatively to ensure that you remain the center of attention
- Get a reputation for being dramatic and overemotional
- Feel dependent on the approval of others
- Be easily influenced by others
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Believe that there are special reasons that make you different, better or more deserving than others
- Have fragile self-esteem, so that you rely on others to recognize your worth and your needs
- Feel upset if others ignore you and don’t give you what you feel you deserve
- Resent other people’s successes
- Put your own needs above other people’s, and demand they do too
- Be seen as selfish and ‘above yourself’
- Take advantage of other people
Avoidant/Anxious Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Avoid work or social activities that mean you must be with others
- Expect disapproval and criticism and be very sensitive to it
- Worry constantly about being ‘found out’ and rejected
- Worry about being ridiculed or shamed by others
- Avoid relationships, friendships and intimacy because you fear rejection
- Feel lonely and isolated, and inferior to others
- Be reluctant to try new activities in case you embarrass yourself
Dependent Personality Disorder
You are likely to:
- Feel needy, weak and unable to make decisions or function properly without help or support
- Allow others to assume responsibility for many areas of your life
- Agree to things you feel are wrong or you dislike to avoid being alone or losing someone's support
- Be afraid of being left to fend for yourself
- Have low self-confidence
- See other people as being much more capable than you are
- Be seen by others as much too submissive and passive
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
You are likely to:
- Need to keep everything in order and under control
- Set unrealistically high standards for yourself and others
- Think yours is the best way of making things happen
- Worry when you or others might make mistakes
- Expect catastrophes if things aren’t perfect
- Be reluctant to spend money on yourself or others
- Have a tendency to hang on to items with no obvious value
OCPD is separate from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which describes a form of behavior rather than a type of personality. (See information about obsessive-compulsive disorder.)
It’s also important to note that it’s common for Personality Disorders to exist as Co-Occurring Disorders, along with Disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Abuse.
Treatment
Because Personality Disorders are primarily connected to teen’s thoughts and behaviors, treatment is designed to address both of these things.
Therapists first people to become aware of their thoughts and behaviors, creating an awareness from which changes can be made. Then, they help the teens to understand the effects that their behaviors have, both in their own lives, and in the lives of others. Therapists can then also begin working with the teens to change those compulsive behaviors and bring about an awareness to their actions, as well as introducing healthy behaviors and practices that will help the teens grow. Therapists also help the teens to gain an ability to deal with stress and conflicts in their lives in healthy ways, so that they can learn to react intentionally and with control.
Living With a Narcissist
Understanding how narcissism works is a key component to learning how to live and love someone who suffers from the narcissistic condition. Narcissism is commonly misunderstood as vanity but intact it has to do with an inability to "self soothe". "Switching" tactics are used as a substitute and often make an effected individual seem self absorbed/ obsessed.
Questions
Is it dangerous to be around someone with a personality disorder?
People with Personality Disorders are not necessarily more likely to behave dangerously than others, but it can feel that way, because their behavior can seem so unpredictable. Statistically speaking, it’s more likely for a person with a Personality Disorder to physical harm himself/herself, rather than someone else. Because people with Personality Disorders often lack an awareness of themselves, this can lead to problems in multiple areas of life. This is why seeking support and treatment for them early on is so important.
How can I figure out if I have a personality disorder?
The truth is, you probably can’t figure out on your own if you have a Personality Disorder such as Borderline Personality Disorder. But if you’re wondering, there’s a good chance it’s because you’re struggling in one or multiple areas of your life, and you’re searching for help. If this is the case, then whether or not you have a Personality Disorder isn’t really the most important thing. The most important thing is for you to get help addressing whatever it is you’re going through. Whether it is or isn’t an official disorder, we can help support you, wherever you’re at.
Source: Paradigm Malibu, Mind.org