The mental health field has come a long way since just a few decades ago when they believed there was little or nothing they could do for people with personality disorders. Today’s professionals know that there is a myriad of options open to them. You can get personality disorder counseling at Thriveworks Durham.
Many people struggle with personality disorders
Personality disorders are not uncommon. In fact, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, of every 10 people who get help for mental health issues, 3 of them are diagnosed with a personality disorder. While there are many types of personality disorder, most of them fall into three categories:
- Anxious and fearful behaviors. This includes avoidant personality disorder and compulsive personality disorder.
- Dramatic, erratic, and emotional behaviors. Examples include borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.
- Eccentric and odd behaviors. The most common examples of these type of personality disorders are schizoid personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder.
There are some personality disorders that don’t fall under any of these categorizations.
Getting feelings under control is the first priority
While long-term treatment will vary based on a particular client’s needs, almost everyone with a personality disorder will begin by getting their feelings under control. These objectives can be met through medication, counseling, or a combination of both.
The key to understanding behavior is understanding core beliefs
For most patients, a focus of therapy will be understanding and changing core beliefs. Core beliefs are beliefs a patient has about themselves. In some cases, they also have core beliefs about family, friends, and others. These are rigid, inflexible beliefs that generally begin in childhood and cannot be let go of – even when there’s evidence that they’re not valid.
At Thriveworks Counseling in Durham, NC, we help clients understand these core beliefs and explore ways to change them. Every client’s sessions are customized for individual needs.
