bnormal Psychology: Personality Disorders Personality disorder is a general term for the different types of mental illness es,

that affects a person's social life, family and work. Many times people suff ering from mental illness do not realize that they are suffering from some type of abnormal psychology personality disorder. This article will help you know mor e about what is abnormal psychology personality disorder and offer you an insigh t on, how to control personality disorder? The scientific study of psychological disorders is known as 'Abnormal Psychology '. When one deviates from a norm, or the accepted behavior in a society or cultu re, people term it as abnormal behavior. Abnormal psychology is studied, researc hed and treated by clinical psychologist, psychiatrists and social workers. Pers onality disorders are similar to physical illness. There are different types of psychology which can affect an individual. The many myths pertain to the term 'm ental', as one can't see the chemical imbalance in the brain. The person sufferi ng from such psychological imbalances himself doesn't realize, what is going wro ng with him. History shows how people misunderstood the abnormal personality dis orders and imprisoned or banished patients from the main society. History of Abnormal Psychology People have suffered from abnormal psychology personality disorders since the St one Age. These abnormal psychology personality disorders were not understood as clinical manifestations, but the work of demons, ghosts and evil spirits. This g ave rise to stories of witches and wizards, witch-crafts and magic. These person ality disorders were treated using a method known as 'Trepanation'. Trepanation was practiced in the prehistoric era, classical and Renaissance periods. The pro cedure for this spine chilling procedure was to drill a hole in the skull exposi ng the dura mater for treating the personality disorder. This process was used f or treating seizures and many more mental illnesses. Hippocrates was the first to point out brain as the root cause for these abnorma l psychological personality disorders. Mentally ill patients were treated as out casts and were socially abolished. They were kept under inhumane conditions and were treated with demonological methods. Patients died or were permanently disab led due to the cruel methods adopted for treating personality disorders. The Sal em Witch Trial in 1692, is the proof of many innocent people with or without men tal disorders being sentenced to prison or death. Bethlehem Hospital in London w as the first hospital to be converted into a mental asylum. Philippe Pinet (1745 -1826), a Frenchman who was then the chief physician at La Bicetre asylum in Par is, believed the mental disorder patients as sick who needed kindness and care. He is one of the great humanitarians who ordered to remove chains from patients at the Paris asylum for insane women. The other humanistic psychotherapists were Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Ivan Pavlov, J.B Watson a nd B.F. Skinner. What is Personality Disorder? The fourth (1994) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Dis orders (DSM-IV) defines personality disorder as "'enduring pattern(s) of inner e xperience and behavior that are sufficiently rigid and deep-seated to bring a pe rson into repeated conflicts with his or her social and occupational environment ." Each and every person has a personality. The way a person thinks, behaves and ex presses emotions are specific to each individual. These traits, specific to an i ndividual mindset get converted into personality disorders, when the behavior be comes extreme and inflexible. Most of the personality disorders take birth in ch ildhood and develop into a full-blown personality disorder in adulthood. Any tra uma emotion or mental, suffered during childhood, may lead to personality disord er. People with personality disorders are affected by their own thinking about t

hemselves and the world around them. They experience emotions different from the normal pattern and function differently in society. They cannot control their i mpulses at times and become a danger to themselves and others around them. Types of Personality Disorders There are 10 types of personality disorders that are arranged in three clusters. Cluster A: The personality disorders that are odd or eccentric are grouped in Cl uster A. Cluster B: The personality disorders that are related to emotional or erratic di sorders are grouped under Cluster B. Cluster C: Anxious or fearful disorders are clubbed together under Cluster C. The various personality disorders are: Paranoid personality disorder: People categorized under paranoid personality dis order show distrust and are suspicious of people around them. Schizoid personality disorder: The person with schizoid personality disorder bec omes detached from social interactions and relationships. The emotional expressi on of these people is restricted. Schizotypical personality disorder: This behavior is marked by pervasive pattern of interpersonal behavior. The person faces discomfort in social settings and h as reduced capacity for close relationships. Their thinking and perception power becomes distorted and exhibit eccentric behavior. Antisocial personality disorder: Patients with antisocial personality disorder h ave little or no regards for others and violate the rights of people around them . They are generally referred as psychopaths or sociopath. Histrionic personality disorder: Patients with histrionic personality disorder a re hungry for attention, over emotional and over dramatic. They draw people towa rds them by their flirtatious or seductive nature. But they, themselves, are emo tionally shallow. They are easily bored and live in their own romantic, sweet wo rld. Narcissistic personality disorder: In this disorder patients are craving for adm iration, self-importance and show lack of empathy. They cannot stand criticism o r losing to someone. Avoidant personality disorder: Such patients with avoidant personality disorder have feelings of social inhibitions and fear rejections. They shy away from deve loping close relationships. They fear criticism and humiliation. Dependent personality disorder : Patients suffering from dependent personality d isorder are afraid of being on their own. They develop submissive behavior as th ey do not want to displease or hurt people. They have separation anxiety and oft en ask guidance from people and do not take decisions on their own. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: These patients are preoccupied with k eeping order, attaining perfection, cleanliness, mental and interpersonal contro l. They spend their time following a strict schedule, rule or plans and will not be flexible or open to change. They face problems in their personal and profess ional lives as they want things to be done their way. Borderline personality disorder: Patients show instability in interpersonal rela tionships, self-image, moods and controlling of impulses. Borderline personality

disorder patients are often confused about their career goals, personal values and even their sexual orientation. These people often threaten to attempt suicid e. Cause of Personality Disorder Most of the causes of personality disorders of a patient lies in his or her chil dhood. Parental upbringing, social pressures, one's personality and physical, me ntal or sexual abuse germinate personality disorders in childhood. The other cau ses of personality disorders may include hereditary traits passed on by parents like shyness or anger. Antisocial personality disorder, which generally has a bi ological cause is more common in men. Women tend to suffer from dependent person ality disorder. Certain biochemical imbalances in the brain also lead to persona lity disorders. Environmental factors and family background also contribute towa rds the causes of personality disorders. Symptoms of Personality Disorder Personality disorder symptoms are specific to each type of abnormal psychologica l personality disorders. The general personality disorder symptoms are classifie d as: Frequent mood swings Unstable relationships Isolating oneself from social interactions Anger outburst Mistrust and suspicion of family and friends Difficulty in making friends Alcohol or drug abuse Poor impulse control Suicidal tendency Inflicting harm on others without provocation Treatment of Personality Disorders Treatment of personality disorders have drastically changed over the years. Pati ents are no longer treated inhumanely. Treatments available today, aim to contro l the disorder and introduce the patient back into the society. As personality d isorders are mostly chronic disorders, a patient may require life-long treatment . The treatment includes: Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy involves talking to the patient regarding the c ondition and issues related to the disorder. The patient learns about his moods, feelings and behavior during the psychotherapy sessions. The different types of psychotherapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior thera py, psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Psychotherapy may be group session or individual sessions. Drug Therapy: Medications like antidepressants, mood stabilizing medications , antianxiety medications and anti-psychotic medications are prescribed by docto rs to help treat and control personality disorders. Hospitalization and Rehabilitation: Some extreme conditions may require psyc hiatric hospitalization. When a patient becomes extremely violent or is unable t o take care of himself, hospitalization is recommended. Many times people who ge t treated for psychological disorders need rehabilitation before entering the so cial structure. Controlling Personality Disorder It is a very difficult task to control personality disorder. One needs to improv e the coping skills in order to overcome personality disorder. The patient needs

to set reasonable goals to achieve in life. Speak to the therapist, family and friends for coping with the changes. Maintaining a daily dairy where one can wri te all the pain, anger, ill-will and negative emotions can also help in controll ing personality disorders. Participation in social gatherings and friends get-to gether will help a person overcome social anxiety and keep away from feelings of social isolation. Support groups help connect with people with similar disorder and help one another to overcome similar challenges. Following a healthy diet a nd giving up on alcohol and other substance use are among the other things that the person can do to improve his condition. With a little determination and self -belief one can overcome abnormal psychological personality disorder. If someone you know is suffering from personality disorder, get over all the myths and fic tion and help the person seek medical attention. With love, support and understa nding one can help patients of personality disorder overcome their abnormality.