What are Personality Disorders?

Labels, stereotypes, and classifications; personality disorders I suppose must have some criteria in today’s society and health care field. However, we always seem to have an importance to pigeon hole, fence off, label and classify to make sense of as well as make ourselves feel safer. This author gives a run down on the (DSM) Diagnostic and Statistical manual for mental disorders under that section. Life and personalities are not that cut and dry. We all have subtle nuances and have different ways of coping. When those mechanisms fall short, or the stress in our life becomes too overwhelming we have a tendency to act out with defense mechanisms and neurotic behavior. Does that warrant a label? In some cases it is helpful. All too often we rush to judgment with a diagnostic label and medication.

It is this author’s opinion issues are not always “black and white,” and we owe it to ourselves and each other to look at the many shades of gray. Shades of gray are crucial, in terms of getting through life with less stress. There are very few absolute truths in this world. In medical school, students learn about symptoms and diagnoses, and sure enough, we all start to acquire these illnesses. Part of the reason for this is that we are all in possession of certain personality disorder characteristics. This DOES NOT mean that when reading this section, if you should find you possess one or two characteristics of a particular personality disorder, that you are diagnosable. However, according to the DSM-IV, when enduring patterns of symptomatology begin to affect one’s environment, one’s family life, one’s social and personal context of their lives, and it becomes dysfunctional, causing stress and anxiety, then one should truly consider a personality disorder.

According to the DSM-IV, listed below are general criteria of personality disorders:
Behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individuals culture. This pattern is manifested by at least two of the following areas:

1. Cognition, which is a way of perceiving and interpreting the self and other people around them.
2. Affectivity, which is the range and intensity of the emotional response.
3. Interpersonal functioning.
4. Impulse control.
5. This enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across many social situations.
6. It leads to clinical distress in social, occupational or family.
7. The pattern can be tracked back to adolescence or early adulthood.
8. It is not a manifestation of a major disorder, i.e. major is defined by an Axis I disorder, which would be a major psychosis.
9. The symptomatology is not due to a physiological cause, i.e. substance abuse or medication.