Personality Disorders (By Mehezabin and Shraddha)

Personality disorders are a classification of mental disorders characterized by maladaptive patterns that disrupt a person's ability to function in everyday life and/or cause extreme distress and the inability to get along with other people.
As you read, you may recognize someone you know in the symptoms of some of these disorders, but keep in mind that while a person may have some of the symptoms of a mental disorder, this does not necessarily mean he has the disorder itself. So don't go diagnosing your friends with a personality disorder or you just might not have any friends left!

Antisocial Personality Disorder

 

Probably the best-known personality disorder is antisocial personality disorder. People with this condition will manipulate or exploit others to get what they want, and this behavior if often characterized as criminal.
In the past, people have often called people with this disorder psychopaths or sociopaths, but psychologists now note that each of these represents a distinctly different mental disorder.
The DSM states that in order to diagnose an individual with antisocial personality disorder, he must be at least 18 years old and have a history of persistent disregard for the rights of other people since at least the age of 15. They must also exhibit a history of at least three of seven behavioral problems:

1. Impulsive and cannot plan ahead
2. Irresponsible and fails to meet obligations
3. Repeatedly gets into physical fights
4. Repeatedly breaks the law
5. Lacks guilt or regret for hurting others
6. Deceitful
7. Has a reckless regard for his own safety or the safety of others

While genetic factors are thought to play an important role in antisocial personality disorder, the exact cause is still unknown. Unfortunately, this disorder is also one of the most difficult to treat. People with this mental disorder rarely seek treatment on their own, so most are only diagnosed and treated after they have come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

 

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-centeredness, lack of empathy for others, and an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Individuals with this disorder consider themselves to be better than everyone else. They expect everyone else to shower them with attention and favors, though they very rarely, if at all, return the favor. They are self-absorbed to the point where they are obsessed with their own self-importance, brilliance, and power. They are, essentially, in love with themselves.

Borderline Personality Disorder

 

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder in which an individual has a history of unstable relationships — one minute the relationship will be passionate and intense as the partner is idealized, but in the next moment, the relationship takes a dive as the partner is suddenly of little or no value.
A person with borderline personality disorder is often self-destructive and may threaten to commit suicide. Drugs are sometimes a part of her life. Impulsiveness is also characteristic of this disorder, as is emotional instability.

Causes of Mental Disorders

 

Now that you've been able to take a closer look at some of the more common mental disorders and have seen how they can be debilitating to a person's life, you are likely wondering what could possibly cause such disorders. There isn't a simple and exact answer for this. Mental health professionals and researchers are constantly studying the causes of mental disorders in an attempt to better understand and treat the disorders.

Biological Factors

 

Some mental health professionals are of the belief that mental disorders are caused solely by problems in the brain and nervous system. As you know, the nervous system is a delicate and complex system in which there is a constant hum of activity that keeps your body alive and functioning well. If there were to be any damage to or a kink in the brain — the executor of the nervous system — the system could be thrown out of whack, possibly resulting in a mental disorder. For instance, the brain's prefrontal cortex is responsible for impulse control and planning. Should this part of the brain be damaged, a person may suffer impulsiveness and an inability to plan ahead, a symptom of schizophrenia.

These people have also shown that some of the biological factors of mental disorders are hereditary and that some people are more susceptible to particular mental disorders than others. For instance, research has shown that major depression is often a heritable mental disorder. Also, as you've surely heard, addiction is thought to originate in a person's biochemistry, and those with a genetic predisposition to addiction are more likely to suffer an addiction.

Psychological Factors

 

On the other hand, there are those who believe that psychological factors — such as traumatic experiences, past conflicts, the way parents behaved toward a child, etc. — are responsible for the development of mental disorders. For example, post traumatic stress disorder is a result of a traumatic experience; it is the body's reaction to and coping mechanism for past events of heightened stress. A mental health professional believing in this theory would focus solely on the traumatic event and its effects in an attempt to help the patient overcome this disorder. Certain phobias, also, have shown that they are a result of psychological factors. For instance, someone with the fear of the number thirteen may have developed the phobia due to societal stimulation or cultural tradition.

Working Together

 

Many mental health professionals and researchers in the field believe that the causes of mental disorders are found among a combination of biological and psychological factors. For instance, someone may have a genetic predisposition toward a certain mental disorder, such as addiction, but the onset of the mental disorder is triggered by a psychological event, such as being exposed to psychoactive drugs during adolescence. Borderline personality disorder is thought to be based on a problem with the emotion regulation system, so that emotions are experienced much more intensely than normal. Because feelings like frustration, hurt, or anger are so much more powerful even over small things, people with BPD elicit reactions such as “Just get over it”; “You're not that upset”; or “You're just looking for attention.” While parents of typical children often teach them how to self-soothe and deal with feelings, parents of people with BPD may not have the skills themselves to deal with extra-intense emotions. After a few years, people with BPD learn to hide their feelings — until they can't anymore, and the pain is simply intolerable. That's when they may hurt themselves, which then starts the consequences all over again. As stated before, the causes of mental disorders are continuously being researched and studied, and treatments are continuing to advance every day.