Personality Disorders Relationships and Social Interactions?

Personality disorders are deeply ingrained, rigid ways of thinking and behaving that result in impaired relationships with others and often cause distress for the individual who experiences them. Many mental health professionals formally recognize 10 disorders that fall into three clusters, although there is known to be much overlap between the categories.

Cluster A disorders are characterized by odd or eccentric patterns of thinking, such as extreme social detachment, distrust, or unusual beliefs.

• Paranoid personality disorder, which involves pervasive distrust and suspicion of others

• Schizoid personality disorder, which involves detachment and limited emotion in social contexts

• Schizotypal personality disorder, which features difficulty with close relationships along with abnormal thinking and behavior patterns

Cluster B disorders feature unstable emotional states and erratic behavior, which can involve aggression toward or manipulation of others.

• Antisocial personality disorder, which involves disregard for others and often impulsiveness and aggression

• Borderline personality disorder, marked by instability in one’s relationships, emotions, and sense of self, and impulsiveness

• Histrionic personality disorder, which involves over-the-top expressiveness and attention-seeking

• Narcissistic personality disorder, often involving an unusually strong desire for admiration, an inflated self-image, and lack of empathy

Cluster C disorders involve anxious or fearful patterns of thinking and relating to others.

• Avoidant personality disorder, characterized by avoidance of social closeness and fear of what others think

• Dependent personality disorder, which involves a tendency to become overly reliant on others and afraid to disrupt relationships

• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, marked by a rigid fixation on details and personally held standards

Understanding Personality Disorders

Signs of a personality disorder usually appear in late adolescence or early adulthood. Although the disorders grouped within each cluster have similar symptoms and traits, one person may not have the same symptoms as another person with the same diagnosis, nor exhibit symptoms to the same degree. People who exhibit symptoms of a personality disorder may be unaware that they do so because they perceive their distorted thought processes, emotional responses, and behaviors as normal.

What is a personality disorder?

A personality disorder is a long-term set of tendencies in one’s thinking and behavior that impair the person’s functioning in the world. While personality disorders are commonly described in terms of distinct categories, research suggests that, for the most part, they reflect various combinations of multiple underlying personality traits, including extreme levels of traits that all people have. 

How can you tell if someone has a personality disorder?

While the signs of a personality disorder—characteristics like lack of empathy and remorse, or consistently chaotic relationships with others—may be evident to many people in someone’s life, only a clinical professional, such as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, can make an official determination that the person meets the criteria for a personality disorder.

Managing and Treating Personality Disorders

Personality disorders present unique treatment challenges. Most personality disorders are ego-syntonic, meaning they are compatible with a person's self-concept. As such, there may initially be little or no motivation to change. Nevertheless, mental health professionals have developed and applied different therapeutic techniques to help those with these conditions learn more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving, and research suggests that positive change is possible for many.

Can personality disorders be cured?

Personality disorders are intricate conditions that may not fully vanish, but studies indicate that symptoms can ameliorate with time. Therapies like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic psychotherapy are helpful for specific personality disorders. Meanwhile, setting boundaries, limiting time spent together, and avoiding triggering topics can aid in managing interactions with someone with a personality disorder.