Personality disorders are mental health conditions that cause people to develop inflexible and long-lasting patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. These patterns can make it difficult to relate to others and manage everyday situations in a way that's expected by their culture.
For people with personality disorders, understanding emotions can be challenging, which can sometimes lead to distorted perceptions of reality and unusual behaviors. They may also not recognize how their behaviors affect themselves and others in negative ways.
These relational difficulties are usually connected to your experience of childhood. When a person is traumatized in childhood, symptoms can be expressed as relational difficulties tied to the developmental stage during which the trauma occurred.
Personality disorders can cause significant distress and impact various aspects of your life, including relationships, family life, social activities, work or school performance, and overall well-being. There are different types of personality disorders, each with its own unique set of characteristics.
At Agentic Mental Health, we offer extensive assessments and personalized treatment plans to accurately diagnose your condition and help you manage it effectively.
Our approach focuses on understanding your unique challenges and strengths, aiming to improve the overall functioning and quality of your life.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) affects your sense of self-esteem and identity. It influences how you perceive yourself and interact with others. People with NPD often have an inflated sense of self-importance and a deep need for excessive attention and admiration.
This need can be strong enough to drive harmful behaviors that negatively impact their lives and the lives of those around them.
People with NPD may struggle to understand or empathize with the feelings of others. This disorder goes beyond mere arrogance or selfishness. In severe cases, you may be grappling with intense feelings of failure or rejection, which can jeopardize your overall health and well-being.
Common symptoms of NPD include:
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by intense emotional instability and difficulty in maintaining relationships. People with BPD often experience severe mood swings, impulsive behaviors, and problems with self-image. These challenges can lead to significant disruptions in their personal and professional lives.
People with BPD may find it hard to manage their emotions, often feeling overwhelmed by anger, sadness, or anxiety. This emotional turbulence can result in unstable relationships, as they may swing from intense closeness to extreme distance or conflict with others.
Moreover, those with BPD experience an overwhelming fear of abandonment and go to great lengths to avoid real or perceived separation or rejection. They may engage in impulsive and risky behaviors, such as reckless driving and self-harm threats. These behaviors significantly impact their ability to maintain stable relationships.
Common symptoms of BPD include:
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) involves an excessive need to be taken care of by others. This need often leads to submissive and clinging behavior, as well as fears of separation and abandonment. People with DPD tend to rely heavily on others for their emotional and physical needs.
They struggle with making everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others. People with DPD often lack self-confidence and feel helpless or incapable when they are alone. They may go to great lengths to avoid being alone or having to take responsibility for themselves.
Common symptoms of DPD include:
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD) is marked by poor self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation. People with AvPD often feel extremely shy, fear rejection, and avoid social interactions despite a desire for connection. This avoidance stems from intense feelings of inferiority and fear of criticism or embarrassment.
Common symptoms of AvPD include:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) features a pattern of frequent unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that cause you to perform repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions can significantly interfere with daily routine and cause considerable distress in life.
Primary symptoms of OCD are having obsessions and compulsions that interfere with your daily routine and normal activities. You may know these symptoms are problematic but can not stop them.
People with OCD may experience any of the following symptoms.
Obsessions: Intrusive and unwanted thoughts that cause immense anxiety and distress.
Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors or mental acts to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) involves a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control. Unlike OCD, which involves specific obsessions and compulsions, OCPD primarily revolves around rigid personality traits and behaviors.
People with OCPD have rigid beliefs and feel a need to have control of themselves, others, and situations. They may not necessarily view their traits and beliefs as problematic. These characteristics can interfere with their relationships and work.
Symptoms of OCPD include:
Treating personality disorders can be challenging as people with personality disorders do not recognize their own problematic behaviors. At Agentic Mental Health, we understand the complex nature of these disorders and tailor treatment plans to address your needs effectively.
While there are no specific medications approved for treating personality disorders, medications can be prescribed to alleviate symptoms, such as anxiety and depression associated with these disorders.
We employ pharmacogenetic testing to determine the most suitable medications and optimize dosage specifically for your unique genetic makeup.
Psychotherapy is the primary treatment for personality disorders. It helps in identifying and modifying troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with personality disorders.
Our therapists utilize various forms of psychotherapy, including psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), among others.
Psychodynamic therapy explores the underlying unconscious conflicts, emotions, and early life experiences that contribute to your symptoms and behaviors. It focuses on change within one interpersonal relationship, often relying on the psychotherapeutic relationship as a kind of safe sandbox to experience the beginnings of change.
CBT focuses on recognizing and changing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. It empowers you to develop effective coping skills, improve interpersonal relationships, and enhance problem-solving abilities.
DBT combines CBT techniques with mindfulness practices to help you regulate your emotions, tolerate distress, and foster healthier relationships.
We understand that each person's experience with a personality disorder is unique. Our team works collaboratively with you to tailor a treatment plan that addresses your specific symptoms and challenges.
At Agentic Mental Health, we are dedicated to supporting your mental health and helping you regain control of your life and happiness. We work closely with you to promote long-term stability, improve the quality of your life, and help you thrive despite the challenges posed by personality disorders.
To book a consultation, call us at 434-284-5980 or schedule an appointment online.
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