What is a personality disorder?
Everyone has personality traits that characterize them. These are the usual ways that a person thinks and behave s, which make each of us unique. Personality traits become a personality disorder when the pattern of thinking and behavior is extreme, inflexible and maladaptive. They may cause major disruption to a person’s life and are usually associated with significant distress to the self or others. Personality disorders begin in childhood and persist throughout adulthood. The prevalence of personality disorders is not firmly establish and varies for the different disorders. Borderline personality disorders .Borderline personality disorder is experienced by about one in 100 people. While personality can be difficult to change, with early and appropriate treatment and support, people with personality disorders can live full and productive lives. There is a wide range of personality disorders. All of them involve a pervasive pattern of behavior, which means that the characteristic behaviors and thoughts are evident in almost all aspects of person’s life. Borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern on instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, moods, and control over impulses. People with borderline personality disorders are likely to have: Wide mood swings. Inappropriate anger or difficulty controlling anger. Chronic feelings of emptiness. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures or threats, or self-harming behavior. Impulsive and self-destructive behavior. A pattern of unstable relationships. Persistent unstable self-image or sense of self. Fear of abandonment. Periods of paranoia and loss of contact with reality. Co-occurring mental health problem. Personality disorders often co-occur with other mental illnesses. Harmful alcohol and other drug use often co-occurs with personality disorders , particularly borderline personality disorder. This make treatment more complex , and effectively managing alcohol and other drug use is important.