The category description of personality disorder is the main heading for a group of disorders. The definition is a behavior that is outside the expectations of what society considers normal behavior. In other words, society has a specific idea of how an individual should act or behave in a public setting. There are many personality disorders; each disorder has a set of traits that, during an interview with a psychologist or therapist, an individual will reveal when questioned.
Individuals with personality disorders may not even realize that they suffer from a disorder. They do not understand why everyone thinks her or she has a problem, especially if the behavior begins at a very young age. He or she may feel that nothing is wrong with them or their actions.
Before interviewing the patient, the therapist may question the parents as to what he or she can contribute to the behaviour question. Individuals with a personality disorder diagnosis may also exhibit other mental health issues such as depression, anger, and antisocial behavior. The individual will not understand if the behavior is unacceptable. It is a learned behavior, and a parent or caregiver allows the behavior to continue or ignores the behavior.
Using the DSM-5 or the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders and the responses from clients and parents, the therapist may extend the diagnosis from personality disorder to a more specific disorder such as antisocial personality disorder or histrionic personality disorder.
The diagnosis of a personality disorder is the first step in treating a personality disorder. Is the behavior a learned behavior or a chemical imbalance? The therapist must continue questioning and researching the home and public lifestyles. He or she will contact school teachers and counselors to question the behavior while in class or school.
Suppose the results of medical testing for a chemical imbalance result in negative results. In that case, the therapist will then question the individual’s home life to see if the behavior results from how the child developed this personality disorder. Is it a question of nurture or nature? By determining these aspects of the diagnosis, the therapist can offer treatment for the disorder with medication or therapy.
The counseling may be individual or family to help the individual understand his or her behavior and why it is not acceptable behavior. If the family home life does not reflect a cause for the behavior, the therapist may ask about head injuries, especially if the behavior has recently manifested in the individual. Studies show that severe head trauma can influence behavior changes in individuals.
There are many causes of personality disorders. The answer is finding the right reason and beginning treatment. The list of personality disorders is extended, with each disorder demonstrating itself with specific traits. Understanding the specific disorder is often the most challenging part of treatment.
• Avoidant personality disorder– the individual may exhibit feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth. This disorder can lead to suicide or bullying behavior, making themselves feel better to be belittling others
• Dissociative identity disorder –or as it was formerly known – multiple personality disorder presents traits the individual has trouble identifying with memories or taking part in their actions. Pick on or make fun of others, get into trouble and not remember the behavior
• Borderline personality disorder– instability in moods and the inability to control his or her actions during these severe mood changes. Rage and manic behavior are common traits
• Paranoid personality disorder –the individual presents behavior that everyone is out to get them. Fear of being followed, going out of the house that someone is going to get them
• Schizoid personality disorder– these individuals shy away from social activities he or she will distance themselves away from social functions and behavior. The individual will often stand in corners or refuse to attend social functions.
• Schizotypal personality disorder- these individuals need to isolate themselves from others and have great anxiety when subject to a social situation. . The individual will often stand in corners or refuse to go out to social functions.
The list can go on. There are so many personality disorders. Those above are just a few that are the more common personality disorders. Numerous websites detail the specific traits and treatments available for each personality disorder.
If we take each disorder individually, the following are websites where parents or family members can go to get a better understanding of the personality disorder he or she is most interested in.
This article is aimed at helping you understand or to help stop bullying, which means there must be an understanding of why an individual has become a bully. It may be a child or an adult; who is the bully? He/she is an adult who torments other adults in his or her life or a child who bullies other children.
Studies have shown that the adult bully has either been bullied as a child and now bullies others, patterns from the studies show that most adult bullies are the result of being bullied as a child. A child may become a bully at school or in social situations where they are bullied at home.
“Bullying lasts a lifetime.” (Copeland, Wolke, Angold, Costello, PhD, 2014). Bullies are not born they are taught the behavior at home; often, a bully is a child of someone who was bullied as a child and has found that he or she can bully others. To break the cycle of bullying, a therapist must convince parents that they are the reason their child is a bully.
Girls and boys can be bullies; an over-demanding parent can create a bully who expects others to do and act the way they do. A girl whose parents expect and demonstrate perfection in their child can produce a child who demands perfection in those around her and ridicules those who do not meet her standards.
A young boy whose father demands high levels of achievement in sports may pick on or ridicule those who do not excel in sports. Those children who are often seen pushing children around and calling them names may have the same treatment at home.
A new type of bullying that is causing significant problems is cyberbullying. This is even easier for a bullying personality to form. The bully retains a secret identity by using social media or texting to antagonize others. Cyberbullying is becoming a social nightmare, and if the bullying is harsh enough may cause death.
Who can find the posting of unflattering pictures or sneak pictures on most social sites and cell phones? Those postings feel superior to those being bullied because everyone can comment on a picture on a social network or pass the text along to others.
Those individuals with personality disorders that, especially dissociative disorder, associate Internet or cell postings with just having fun; when questioned, they reply it’s not hurting anyone; it’s just a text.
The need for education and understanding is vital in stopping bullying. Parents who are bullied must be reminded what it feels like to be bullied and counselled to stop bullying their child—that way; They can break the chain of bullying.
With education comes responsibility. Yes, it may be fun to laugh at others. As a whole, everyone laughs at the misfortune of others. Comedians do it on TV. A father may laugh at his neighbor, who he feels cannot be a real man because he hires someone to cut his lawn. This signals the child that it is okay to taunt another child who can’t run or play sports.
By identifying personality disorders and treating the cause of these disorders, individuals with one of the most common personalities, paranoid personality disorder, will be able to walk out of their homes and not be afraid.
What to do if your child has exhibited an adverse behavior. And you, as a parent, feel that your child is not acting as what you feel is normal. Talk to teachers and counselors at his or her school. Seek help from a qualified therapist. Feel free to ask for help. The earlier a problem is discovered, Who can start the earlier treatment?
Who can help with personality disorders if the individual and his or her parents want to get help? Especially if parents deny that there is a problem. We all shy away from the term mental health. It scares the average individual. But looking at the words mental health should be a cheerful enjoying a healthy mental attitude is positive, and achieving it should not feel negative.
Feeling mentally fit helps in feeling physically fit. Those with a personality disorder sometimes neglect their health by being afraid; this can lead to overeating, sleeplessness, and poor hygiene. The inadequacy in personal esteem and the feelings of not caring are not helping the individual overcome their personality disorder. Praise for reaching goals should be plentiful and often given.
Sometimes too much praise can lead to the individual thinking about how bad they looked before and reducing confidence even lower. The therapist can give the parents examples of positive praise without causing an adverse reaction.
As a parent, you can never know enough about personality disorders and how to treat them. Keep in mind that your child can get help. If you are an individual who has a personality disorder, there is help. You can live everyday life.
There are many types of help available: individual, one-on-one counseling, family counseling and group therapy, where you as an individual can meet others who suffer from a disorder that is similar to the one you have. Never feel you are alone. There is always someone out there who can help.
Talking about your feelings and expressing the emotions that he or she finds hard to live with will keep an individual from living, working and enjoying life. The help you need is just a step away. Don’t let a personality disorder control your life. Learn how to control your personality disorder.
