Personality disorders: what they are, how to deal with them

By Cristiano Antonino On Jun 15, 2023

Personality disorders are not characterised by specific symptoms or syndromes, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression or panic attacks, but by the exaggerated and rigid presence of certain personality traits

Personality (or character) has been defined in many ways, but it can be said to be the set of characteristics, or stable traits, that represent the way each of us responds, interacts, perceives and thinks about what happens to us.

It can also be said that personality, for anyone and not only for those suffering from personality disorders, is the stable way that each of us has built up, through our own experiences and from our innate temperament, of relating to others and to the world.

The traits that make it up represent the characteristics of one’s style of relating to others: thus there is, for example, the trait of dependence on others, or of suspiciousness, or of seduction, or that of self-love.

Normally these traits must be quite flexible according to circumstances: thus at some times it will be useful to be more dependent or passive than usual, while at others it will be more functional to be seductive.

Personality disorders are characterised by the rigidity and inflexible presentation of these traits, even in the least appropriate situations

For example, some people always tend to present themselves in a seductive manner regardless of the situation in which they find themselves, thus making it difficult to cope; other people, on the other hand, tend to always be so dependent on others that they cannot make their own decisions.

Usually such traits become so habitual and stable that the persons themselves do not realise that they are engaging in rigid and inadequate behaviour, hence the negative reactions of others towards them, but always feel like the victim of the situation and feed their personality disorder.

Thus, for example, a person with a paranoid personality disorder does not realise that, with his or her suspicious behaviour, he or she does not trust others, and he or she ‘pulls the wool over others’ eyes and aggressive reactions, confirming the idea that no one can be trusted.

Personality disorders have been classified, according to the most widespread psychopathological classification, into three categories:

Personality disorders characterised by bizarre behaviour:

Paranoid personality disorder: sufferers tend to interpret the behaviour of others as malicious, thus always behaving suspiciously.
Schizoid personality disorder: sufferers are not interested in contact with others, preferring a reserved and detached lifestyle.
Schizotypal personality disorder: usually presented by people who are eccentric in their behaviour, have little contact with reality and tend to give absolute relevance and certainty to certain magical intuitions.

Personality disorders characterised by high emotionality:

Borderline personality disorder: usually the sufferer shows marked impulsivity and strong instability both in interpersonal relationships and in the idea he has of himself, oscillating between extreme positions in many areas of his life.
Histrionic personality disorder: the sufferer tends to seek the attention of others, to be constantly seductive and to manifest his emotions in a marked and theatrical manner.
Narcissistic personality disorder: sufferers tend to feel the best of everyone, to seek the admiration of others and to think that everything is owed to them, given the importance they attach to themselves.
Antisocial personality disorder: the sufferer is a person who in no way respects laws, tends to violate the rights of others, feels no sense of guilt for crimes committed.

Personality disorders characterised by strong anxiety:

Avoidant personality disorder: the sufferer tends to avoid social situations altogether out of fear of negative judgements from others, thus presenting marked shyness.
Dependent personality disorder: sufferers have a marked need to be looked after and looked after by others, thus delegating all their decisions.
Obsessive compulsive personality disorder: sufferers have a marked tendency towards perfectionism and precision, a strong preoccupation with order and control.

All personality disorders must be treated with psychotherapy, preferably cognitive behavioural, in the medium to long term.

Medications usually do not alter the personality structure in any way, although in some cases they may be useful for managing the anxious, depressive and impulse control symptoms typically found in such disorders.

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