Personality Disorders

Personality disorders are complex mental health conditions that can significantly impact an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. These disorders are characterized by enduring patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience that deviate significantly from societal expectations.

Personality Disorders and Addiction Treatment in Colorado

Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that at least one in every five Americans will experience one form of mental illness or another in a given year. Furthermore, at least one in every 25 American adults is currently living with a serious form of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or personality disorder. Even worse is the fact that many people afflicted with these mental health issues are also prone to developing a substance abuse disorder, which leads to compounded conditions like personality disorders and addiction.

What are the Causes of Personality Disorders?

The complexity of the human mind makes it quite difficult to isolate specific causes for conditions such as personality disorders, although mental health experts in our sober living outpatient programs are looking at some contributing factors that increase the likelihood of developing this particular mental health issue.

Genetics

Multiple studies have shown a strong connection between physical and mental disorders and the genetic lineage of a person, suggesting that genetics is a strong determiner of a person’s predisposition to develop certain disorders. In the case of personality disorders, scientists have identified a malfunctioning gene is being seen as a factor in the development of a type of personality disorder, namely the obsessive-compulsive type. Researchers have also seen possible genetic links that could point to a person’s predisposition to developing disorders related to aggression, anxiety, and fear, all of which are traits that can play a role in personality disorders.

Alterations in the Nervous System

Numerous medical researchers have found a possible link between certain distinct differences in the brain of people with certain personality disorders. One such research suggests that an alteration in the function of the amygdala, the portion of the brain associated with processing fear-related and threatening stimuli, could be the primary reason why people with a personality disorder become particularly paranoid. In these people, the altered amygdala is no longer able to regulate the fear response as it normally would, resulting in the person becoming significantly fearful of most things.

Childhood Trauma

Trauma of any kind is particularly damaging to the memory, and the way memory associates with perception and reaction to stimuli. The best example of this is seen with people who have experienced significant trauma during the early part of their lives. This is particularly true with people diagnosed with borderline and antisocial personality disorders.

People with these disorders have issues with intimacy and trust, mainly because they may have gone through incidents of abuse or trauma during their childhood. The unprocessed and unresolved trauma resulted in the person developing an extreme aversion to intimacy and a great distrust of people they have relationships with. In severe cases, some even get the urge to hurt or abuse the one they have a relationship with, which is a mirror of what they went through.

Verbal Abuse

Similar to trauma, repeated verbal abuse could lead to the development of several personality issues relevant to how they relate to others. The result of this kind of abuse typically leads to the manifestation of uncharacteristic anger, resentment, or disappointment. Studies done on this revealed that people who experienced verbal abuse as a child were about three times as likely to develop borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, or paranoid personality disorders later on in life.

People who experienced trauma early in life were found to also have a great tendency to develop either an alcohol or substance abuse disorder. Many victims of abuse early on in life are known to end up with problematic issues such as personality disorders and addiction. Jaywalker offers drug addiction treatment in Colorado for individuals suffering from substance abuse.

Cultural Factors

Cultural factors could also play a part in causing people to develop certain behavioral and personality issues due to certain peculiarities. Some cultures have socially unbalanced practices, such as patriarchy, matriarchy, and privilege that are based on things such as social standing in life, and other things. The problem arises when these beliefs and practices begin to conflict with the nuances of the modern world. Modern liberal thinking has led to many of these cultural practices being exposed as nothing more than being manipulative and exploitative, with the favor mostly centered on those who hold positions of authority in their social structure.

What Are Co-Occurring Disorders?

A co-occurring disorder, otherwise known as a comorbidity, is when an individual has a mental health issue and a substance use disorder that happened either simultaneously or one after the other. In most cases, it is not known which disorder came first, if it was substance abuse or a mental health issue. Most dual-diagnosis treatment approaches begin with trying to determine which disorder led to the development of the other, as this usually gives a point of reference that factors into the determination of what treatment method should be used.

In most cases, the determination alone is already challenging, as certain symptoms of a substance abuse disorder could be quite similar to those of specific mental health issues. One example is the similarities between the highly sedated state of someone who is heavily into alcohol abuse and the melancholic and lethargic state that depressive people experience. Numerous research into co-occurring conditions also suggests that both disorders interact with each another and influence certain elements of both illnesses, such as the prognosis and treatment of each. It is not uncommon for a person who has co-occurring disorders to experience the exacerbation or worsening of both conditions.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Personality Disorders?

Personality disorder types are grouped into three clusters which are categorized based on similar characteristics and symptoms. People with at least one personality disorder type may also have signs and symptoms of at least one other additional personality disorder. This is why there is a need for the proper categorization of the specific personality disorder types to better differentiate between the signs and symptoms of each cluster.

Cluster A Personality Disorders

This cluster of personality disorders is characterized by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior and typically includes paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder.

Paranoid Personality Disorder Symptoms

Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives
The unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you
Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty or trustworthiness of others
Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use the information against you
Perception of innocent remarks or non-threatening situations as personal insults or attacks
The angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults
Tendency to hold grudges
Unjustified, recurrent suspicion that spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful

Schizoid Personality Disorder Symptoms

Lack of interest in social or personal relationships
Preference to being alone
Limited range of emotional expression
Inability to take pleasure in most activities
Inability to pick up normal social cues
The appearance of being cold or indifferent to others
Little or no interest in having sex with another person

Schizotypal Personality Disorder Symptoms

Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech, or behavior
Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing voices
Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses
Social anxiety and a lack of or discomfort with close relationships
Indifferent, inappropriate, or suspicious responses to others
“Magical thinking” — believing you can influence people and events with your thoughts
The belief that certain casual incidents or events have hidden messages meant only for you

Cluster B Personality Disorders

This cluster is characterized by dramatic, overly emotional, or unpredictable thinking or behavior and typically includes antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.

Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms

Disregard for others’ needs or feelings
Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, deceiving others
Recurring problems with the law
Repeated violation of the rights of others
Aggressive, often violent behavior
Disregard for the safety of self or others
Impulsive behavior
Consistently irresponsible
Lack of remorse for behavior

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling, or binge eating
Unstable or fragile self-image
Unstable and intense relationships
Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress
Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury
Intense fear of being alone or abandoned
Ongoing feelings of emptiness
Frequent, intense displays of anger
Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes

Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms

Constantly seeking attention
Excessively emotional, dramatic, or sexually provocative to gain attention
Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back them up
Easily influenced by others
Shallow, rapidly changing emotions
Excessive concern with physical appearance
Thinks relationships with others are closer than they are

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Symptoms

The belief that you’re special and more important than others
Fantasies about power, success, and attractiveness
Failure to recognize others’ needs and feelings
Exaggeration of achievements or talents
The expectation of constant praise and admiration
Arrogance
Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages, often taking advantage of others
Envy of others or belief that others envy you

Cluster C Personality Disorders

This cluster is characterized by anxious, fearful thinking or behavior and may include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Avoidant Personality Disorder Symptoms

Too sensitive to criticism or rejection
Feeling inadequate, inferior, or unattractive
Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact
Socially inhibited, timid, and isolated, avoiding new activities or meeting strangers
Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships
Fear of disapproval, embarrassment, or ridicule

Dependent Personality Disorder Symptoms

Excessive dependence on others and feeling the need to be taken care of
Submissive or clingy behavior toward others
Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone
Lack of self-confidence, requiring excessive advice and reassurance from others to make even small decisions
Difficulty starting or doing projects on your own due to a lack of self-confidence
Problem disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval
Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are available
Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended

Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder Symptoms

Preoccupation with details, orderliness, and rules
Extreme perfectionism, resulting in dysfunction and distress when perfection is not achieved, such as feeling unable to finish a project because you don’t meet your strict standards
Desire to be in control of people, tasks, and situations, and inability to delegate tasks
Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive commitment to work or a project
Inability to discard broken or worthless objects
Rigid and stubborn
Inflexible about morality, ethics, or values
Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder, as the latter belongs to the different types of anxiety disorders.

Jaywalker Can Help You with Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Certain conditions are far more complex and difficult to deal with, such as dual diagnosis, as this condition is an amalgam of two conditions that tend to feed off each other, and in the process make the treatment of both quite difficult. We know this because we have helped numerous people with this condition with our distinct type of treatment in our rehab center in Colorado, and we can help you get through it as well. Talk to us now.