If you have a rigid and unhealthy habit of thinking, acting, and behaving, you may have a personality disorder. A personality disorder makes it difficult for the sufferer to perceive and relate to others. This has serious effects on relationships, social interactions, employment opportunities, and educational opportunities.

Because your style of thinking and acting looks normal to you in some situations, you might not be aware that you have a personality disorder. And you can attribute the difficulties you experience to others.

Most personality problems start in adolescence or early adulthood. Personality problems come in a variety of forms. Through middle age, some types may become less noticeable.

Diagnosis

If you have a personality problem, your doctor may make the following determinations:

• Exam of the body: Your health may be the subject of a physical examination and in-depth inquiries from the doctor. Your symptoms could occasionally be indicative of an underlying physical health issue. Lab testing and a drug and alcohol screening test can be a part of your evaluation.
• Psychiatric assessment: This involves talking about your thoughts, feelings, and actions, and it could include a questionnaire to help determine a diagnosis. Information from family members or others may be useful with your permission.
• DSM-5 diagnostic standards: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association may be used by your doctor to match your symptoms to its diagnostic criteria.

Diagnostic criteria

There are specific diagnostic standards for each personality disorder. The diagnosis of a personality disorder, however, typically entails a long-term, noticeable departure from societal norms that causes severe suffering or impairment in at least two of these areas:

• Your perspective on yourself, other people, and events, and how you interpret them
• The suitability of your emotional reactions
• How successfully you interact with others and behave in romantic relationships
• Whether or not you have self-control

When more than one personality disorder is present, it can be challenging to identify which one is present because some personality disorders have similar symptoms. The diagnosis may be made more difficult by the presence of additional diseases including depression, anxiety, or substance misuse. But getting a precise diagnosis is worthwhile so that you can receive the right treatment.

Treatment

The appropriate course of personality disorder treatment for you will depend on the type and degree of your personality disorder as well as your current circumstances. To ensure that all of your psychiatric, medical, and social needs are fulfilled, it is frequently necessary to take a team approach. Treatment may take months or years due to the long-standing nature of personality disorders.

Your primary physician or another primary care provider, as well as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or another therapist may be a part of your treatment team. If your symptoms are manageable and light, simply your health care physician, a psychiatrist, or another therapist may be required for treatment. Find a virtual mental health therapist in Florida who has experience with personality problems if at all possible.

The most common form of treatment for personality disorders is psychotherapy, usually known as talk therapy. You can discuss your moods, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors as well as your condition with a mental health expert South Florida while in psychotherapy. You can develop coping mechanisms for stress and control your disorder. Psychotherapy can be given in individual sessions, group sessions, or sessions with friends or family. Your Florida licensed mental health counselor will be able to decide which style of psychotherapy is ideal for you.

You might also receive instruction in social skills. You can utilize the understanding and information you get from this program to learn healthy strategies to manage your symptoms and cut down on behaviors that hinder your functioning and relationships.

Families who are struggling with a family member who has a personality disorder might find help and information through family therapy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any drugs especially to treat personality disorders. However, different personality disorder symptoms may be helped by different psychiatric drug classes.