Personality is defined as patterns of perceiving, feeling, thinking, and relating oneself to others. Individual personalities make each person unique, but they also offer a form of commonality with other humans. When personality patterns deviate from the expectations of social and cultural norms, personality disorders can develop.Personality disorders are mental health conditions that alter a person’s inner experience and behaviors (such as ways of perceiving and interpreting others, events, emotional responses, impulse control, and interpersonal functioning). They are marked by unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, difficulty initiating or maintaining relationships, and impaired functioning.This disorder can cause a person to be evasive and inflexible, have trouble adjusting to change, and be unable to deal with everyday stressors. Personality disorders can also cause a person to adopt extreme views and behaviors that interfere with sustaining employment or relating to others.
Personality disorders impact cognition, interpersonal functioning, and impulse control. However, there are several types of personality disorders and they all impact different areas in a person’s life. There are a total of ten types of personality disorders, and they are categorized into three clusters: A, B, and C.
Individuals with these disorders have symptoms that are similar to people that have schizophrenia. These symptoms can include inappropriate or flat affects, odd thoughts and speech patterns, paranoia, and an inability to relate to others.
People with these disorders tend to be manipulative, volatile, and uncaring. In social relationships, they are prone to impulsive, sometimes violent behaviors that show little regard for their safety or the needs and safety of others.
People with these disorders are extremely concerned about being criticized or abandoned by others and thus have dysfunctional relationships with others.
Living with a personality disorder is extremely difficult, and it is common for people who suffer from them to experience high levels of depression. Substance use disorder is common amongst people that have a personality disorder. Personality disorders are marked by symptoms that are rife for substance use disorders, including impulsivity, fear of social interactions, inflexibility, and dependency.For an individual suffering from a personality disorder, using drugs and alcohol may improve one's ability to socialize, sleep better, suppress insecurities, and feel less anxious. However, it only provides temporary relief from symptoms, which are often intensified and made worse by substances.Alcohol and substance use disorder (SUD) alone can cast upon you so many hardships and consequences. When coupled with mental health disorders, this substance use typically exacerbates a soon to become or already unmanageable situation. Substance use can often provide what seems to be temporary relief from these conditions of the mind while creating an increase in these symptoms. Additionally, personality disorders create considerable personal challenges in defining where unhealthy functioning constitutes the beginning of a condition, which increases one’s risk of developing a substance use disorder. At Valiant Living, located in beautiful Centennial, CO, we are an all-male recovery center. We specialize in helping men create, develop, and use tools to address and manage co-disorders. We also help to re-establish intimate relationships and encourage sobriety. If you or someone you love needs help managing a mental health disorder or maintaining sobriety from drugs or alcohol, please contact us today at 720-669-1285.