Personality disorders are long-term patterns of thoughts and behaviors that cause serious problems with relationships and work. People with personality disorders have difficulty dealing with everyday stresses and problems. They often have stormy relationships with other people. The exact cause of personality disorders is unknown. However, genes and childhood experiences may play a role.
Symptoms vary widely depending on the specific type of personality disorder. Treatment usually includes talk therapy and sometimes medicine.
Start Here
- Personality Disorders(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=35
- Personality Disorders(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/personality-disorders
Overviews
- Personality Disorders(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/personality-disorders/DS00562/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Personality Disorders(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch105/ch105a.html
Latest News
- Heavier Women Seen Prone to Personality Disorders(01/06/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_73491.html
Treatment
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy(NAMI) - http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Treatments_and_Supports&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7952
- Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?name=Psychotherapies+For+Children+And+Adolescents§ion=Facts+for+Families
- Suggested Questions to Ask Before Selecting a Treatment Program(Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center) - http://www.bpdresourcecenter.org/family.htm
Specific Conditions
- Antisocial Personality Disorder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antisocial-personality-disorder/DS00829/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Borderline Personality Disorder: Raising Questions, Finding Answers
(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder.shtml
- Dependent Personality Disorder(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/personality_disorders/hic_dependent_personality_disorder.aspx
- Dissociative Disorders(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dissociative-disorders/DS00574/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Histrionic Personality Disorder(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/personality_disorders/hic_histrionic_personality_disorder.aspx
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Paranoia and Paronoid Disorders(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/paranoia-and-paranoid-disorders
- Schizoid Personality Disorder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/schizoid-personality-disorder/DS00865/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/33022.html
Related Issues
- Co-Occurring Disorders(Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center) - http://www.bpdresourcecenter.org/what_disorders.htm
- Overview of Factitious Disorders(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/factitious_disorders/hic_an_overview_of_factitious_disorders.aspx
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Antisocial Personality Disorder
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Antisocial+Personality+Disorder%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Borderline Personality Disorder
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Borderline+Personality+Disorder%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Personality Disorders
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Personality+Disorders%22
Research
Pilot Study Will Test New Treatment to Reduce Self-Harm in Borderline Personality Disorder
(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/pilot-study-will-test-new-treatment-to-reduce-self-harm-in-borderline-personality-disorder.shtml
Journal Articles
- Article: The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for DSM-IV... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19047531&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Do improvements after inpatient dialectial behavioral therapy persist in the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19008737&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Questioning the coherence of histrionic personality disorder: borderline and hysterical... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19008729&tool=MedlinePlus
- Personality Disorders -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=personality+disorders[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
Medical Encyclopedia
- Personality Disorders - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Personality+Disorders
Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary of Terms (Borderline Personality Disorder)(Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center) - http://www.bpdresourcecenter.org/what_glossary.htm
Directories
- American Psychiatric Association District Branch / State Association Directory(American Psychiatric Association) - http://onlineapa.psych.org/listing/
- Mental Health Services Locator(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/
- National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology - http://www.nationalregister.com/osd/search.php
Organizations
- Mental Health America - http://www.nmha.org/
- NAMI - http://www.nami.org/Also available in Spanish http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/NAMI_en_español/NAMI_en_español.htm
- National Institute of Mental Health
- http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Statistics
- FASTATS: Mental Health Disorders(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mental.htm
- Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america.shtml
Seniors
- Personality Disorders(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=35
You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:
- Mental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obsessivecompulsivedisorder.html
- Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html
Sources: National Insittute of Mental Health, Youtube, See also blogposts in: Psychiatric Disorders: Personality Disorders
Dr. Jeffrey Speller
Dr. Tanya Korkosz
Psychopharmacology Associates of New England