What are Personality Disorders?
Personality disorders are often a stigmatized label within the mental health field and are often misunderstood. In fact, many people don’t even know what a personality disorder is, but may still judge themselves or others for having this label.
There are many different types of personality disorders, but all of them are tied together with the idea that people can be struggling with their mental health and functioning not due to a chemical imbalance, but because their perception of themselves and the world around them has been negatively affected by traumatic experiences.
Personality disorders refer to having a collection of symptoms that are created as a result of experiencing complex trauma.
Symptoms:
The symptoms a person experiences due to having a personality disorder vary depending on the specific personality disorder a person has, though many personality disorders feature:
Chronic self-doubt
Intense emotions
People-pleasing
Abandonment issues
Unstable relationships
Oftentimes these symptoms create significant anxiety for the person experiencing them and leave people feeling like they’re “too much” or “always the problem.”
Types of Personality Disorders:
The most common types of personality disorders are:
Borderline Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder
These labels can help people to better categorize a set of symptoms, as well as the ability to understand how their symptoms are connected.
However, some people don’t find these labels to be helpful and choose to focus on improving specific behavior patterns instead.
Whether a person chooses to utilize a label to understand themselves or not, healing and growth from these symptoms is possible.
Differences from PTSD
If personality disorders develop as a result of trauma, and many people experience high anxiety as a primary symptom, how is this any different from PTSD? Or even Complex-PTSD (C-PTSD)?
There is a lot of symptom overlap and trauma recovery work to be done with both diagnoses, and it often takes time with a skilled clinician to determine which diagnosis makes the most sense for an individual, if that individual is seeking a diagnosis.
It is also not uncommon for personality disorders to be mistaken for autism, especially in women. In fact, some people may have C-PTSD or be autistic and also have a personality disorder.
However, there are specific trauma symptoms, such as flashbacks and nightmares, or neurodevelopmental symptoms, such as difficulty interpreting social cues, that are present in PTSD, C-PTSD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, that are not symptoms of personality disorders.
Notably, personality disorders are primarily fixated on relationships and how the individual relates with others.
Someone who has a personality disorder has had their ability to connect to other people negatively impacted due to the trauma they have experienced, which is now specifically being expressed by symptoms specific to Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, or others.
Can you heal from a Personality Disorder?
Yes, you can heal from a personality disorder. Healing and recovery from a personality can take time and practice and requires motivation and patience, but it is possible to no longer meet criteria for a personality disorder you were once diagnosed with.
Therapy is an evidenced-based way to decrease the symptoms experienced from a personality disorder. A personality disorder therapist can help anyone to learn to regulate their emotions, build a stronger sense of identity, navigate relationships and boundaries, and understand patterns rooted in trauma.
Consistently working with a therapist can also be an integral part of healing from the shame, self-hate, or inner chaos that develops with a personality disorder.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has been proven to be an effective treatment for symptoms of personality disorders and was specifically developed with the purpose of being a therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder.
It can also be helpful to integrate somatic work, attachment theory, or psychodynamic approaches in order to best provide trauma-informed care.
Our practice is committed to creating therapeutic relationships that are nonjudgmental, warm, and attuned to each client’s individual needs.
Healing from the trauma-induced symptoms of a personality disorder is possible utilizing these modalities. Clients are able to learn to feel more grounded and connected to themselves, to navigate healthy relationships, to feel less reactive, and to develop an inner sense of trust.
If you're navigating the challenges of a personality disorder or feel like you don’t quite fit the mold, you deserve the tailored support Bellamy & Associates provides.
Specifically, Casey McDonagh, LCSW specializes in the assessment and treatment of personality disorders.
Book a consultation call here if you’re interested in learning more.
