psychiatric disorders
Overview of Personality Disorders
Introduction
Personality disorders in general are pervasive, enduring patterns of thinking, perceiving, reacting, and relating that cause significant distress or functional impairment. Personality disorders vary significantly in their manifestations, but all are believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Many gradually become less severe with age, but certain traits may persist to some degree after the acute symptoms that prompted the diagnosis of a disorder abate. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. Treatment is with psychosocial therapies and sometimes with medications. Personality traitsrepresent patterns of thinking, perceiving, reacting, and relating that are relatively stable over time. Personality disordersexist when these traits become so pronounced, rigid, and maladaptive that they impair work and/or interpersonal functioning. These social maladaptations can cause significant distress in people with personality disorders and in those around them. For people with personality disorders (unlike many others who seek counseling), the distress caused by the consequences of their socially maladaptive behaviors is usually the reason they seek treatment, rather than any discomfort with their own thoughts and feelings. Thus, clinicians must initially help patients see that their personality traits are the root of the problem. Personality disorders usually start to become evident during late adolescence or early adulthood, although sometimes signs are apparent earlier (during childhood). Traits and symptoms vary considerably in how long they persist; many resolve with time. , 5th ed, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) lists 10 Types of Personality Disorders , although most patients who meet criteria for one type also meet criteria for one or more others. Some types (eg, About 9% of the general population ( General references ) and up to half of psychiatric patients in hospital units and clinics have a personality disorder ( For most personality disorders, levels of heritability are about 50%, which is similar to or higher than that of many other major psychiatric disorders. This degree of heritability argues against the common assumption that personality disorders are character flaws primarily shaped by an adverse environment. The direct health care costs and indirect costs of lost productivity associated with personality disorders, particularly borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, are significantly greater than similar costs associated with Depressive Disorders or 