It’s common for people with personality disorders to feel like there’s nothing that can help them. Fortunately, the medical community has come a long way in the last few decades and there are many pharmaceutical and therapeutic solutions and treatments.
The frequency of personality disorders
Personality disorders are not uncommon. In fact, up to 30% of people who get help for mental health problems end up being diagnosed with personality disorders. Generally speaking, most personality disorders are clustered into three groups:
- Personality disorders that result in bizarre and / or eccentric behaviors include paranoid personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder.
- Personality disorders that result in dramatic and erratic behaviors include narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
- Personality disorders that result in anxious and fearful behaviors include dependent personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
While many personality disorders fall into these three clusters, not every personality disorder does.
Your first move is to find solutions to your feelings
Getting emotions under control is almost always the first step in treating these disorders. Your counselor will closely study your situation, make a diagnosis, and suggest the best method of therapy. Solutions include pharmaceutical options as well as talk therapy.
Core beliefs have a big effect on your life
Most people with personality disorders have what are known as “core beliefs.” These are seemingly permanent, unchangeable beliefs a person holds about themselves, the world at large, and other people. No matter how much evidence may be presented that these core beliefs aren’t real, a person with a personality disorder may be unable to see said evidence.
One of the jobs of Thriveworks Chesterfield Counseling and Coaching is finding ways for clients to dig deep into these core beliefs and confront them head on to separate reality from their disorder.
