mental health disorders
Overview of Personality Disorders
Diagnosis of Personality Disorders
A doctor's evaluation, based on standard psychiatric diagnostic criteria Doctors base the diagnosis of a specific personality disorder on lists of personality traits (criteria) provided for each disorder in the DSM-5-TR. Some people with a personality disorder are distressed by their behavior and actively seek treatment. Others cannot see a problem with their own behavior. Thus, they tend not to seek help on their own. Instead, they may be referred by their friends, family members, or a social agency because their behavior is causing difficulty for others. When people with a personality disorder seek help, the reason is likely to be to get help with other mental health disorders, such as Symptoms , A doctor suspects a personality disorder if people Consistently view themselves or others in ways that differ from reality Describe a pattern of inappropriate thoughts or behaviors that they do not change despite negative consequences Are distressed by their behavior and/or its consequences or cannot function adequately because of their behavior The inappropriate thoughts and behaviors may involve how people see and understand themselves and others, how they interact with others, and/or how well they control their impulses. Such thoughts and behaviors are considered a disorder only if they are persistent (not just once in a while) and if a person keeps doing them even though they cause the person distress or difficulties in daily life. Also, for people with personality disorders, the thoughts and behaviors start during adolescence or early adulthood, not later in life. To help confirm the diagnosis, doctors may talk with the person's friends and family members to obtain additional information. This can be very helpful, because people are often unaware of their own role in creating the problems. 