Author:
Dr B S Suvarna
B.A, D.I.Hom[Lond.], M.I.H, PhD, PGDPC (Psychotherapy & Counselling, USA)
HOMOEO PHYSICIAN
MAMTHA HOMOEO CLINIC
Jeevan Shanthi
Karnataka State, India
What is personality disorder
Every one has personality traits that characterise them . these are the usual ways that a person thinks and behaves, which make each of us unique .
Personality traits become a personality disorder when the pattern of thinking and behavior is extreme inflexible and maladaptive . they may cause major disruption to a person,s life and are usually associated with significant distress to the self or others personality disorders begin in childhood and persist through out adulthood
The prevalence of personality disorder is not firmly established and varies for the different disorders borderline personality disorder is experienced experienced by about one in 100 people
While personality can be difficult to change , with early and appropriate treatment can be difficult to change , with early and appropriate treatment and support , people with personality disorders can live full and productive lives
The sign of life is struggle for growth . A tiny seed breaks open the earth to grow into a plant but growth alone does not add beauty to life , rather wild and abnormal growth sometimes leads to stagnation shaping the growth through proper training and systematic discipline is the only way to make life beautiful, which ultimately leads to full fledged personality
In the history of mankind great personalities appear who shook the world during their life time , there marvelous achievements dazzled the eyes of people for a while , but the forgotten immediately after their demise , the reason being appearance of greater and stronger personalities with extra ordinary brilliance , who made their hold strong on the minds of people . Achievement in life certainly makes a person great , but does not add much to his personality based on character and not on achievemens in life , real personality which based on character is remembered by the world through eternity , the number of such people though small can shape the destiny of the mankind , their names remain imprinted in the hearts of millions of people forever ,we are proud to say that in modern times India could produce such real and universal person in Swami vivekanand , whose thoughts are source source of inspiration , through out the world to shape a real personality which is based on character is remembered by the word through eternity . the number of such people though small, shape the destiny of the mankind .their names remain imprinted in the hearts of millions of people for ever .we are proud to say that in modern times India could produce such real and universal person in swami Vivekananda , whose thoughts are source of inspiration , through out the world to shape a real personality .
WHAT ARE THE MAIN TYPES OF PERSONALITY DISORDER
There is a wide range of personality disorder , all of them involve a pervasive pattern of behavior , which means that the characteristics behaviours and thoughts are evident in almost all aspects of a person’s life
There are three clusters of personality disorders odd or eccentric disorders dramatic emotional; or erratic disorders and anxious or fear full disorders
Specific disorders are as follows
- Paranoid personality disorder is a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others , such that their motives are interpreted as malevdent
- Schizoid personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings
- Schizotypal personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with reduced capacity for close relationships , it is also characterized by distortions of thinking and perception and eccentric behavior
- Antisocial personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others
- Histrionic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of excessive emotion and attention seeking
- Narcissistic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or actual behavior) need for admiration and lack of empathy
- Avoidant personality disorder is a social inhibition , feelings of in advequacy and hyper sensitivity to negative evaluation
- Dependant personality disorder is a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of which leads and clinging behaviours and fears of separation
- Obsessive compulsive personality disorder is a pevasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness perfectionism and mental and interpersonal control at the expensive of flexibility openness and efficiency
- Borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability of inter persona relationships , self image moods and control over impulces , understanding borderline personality disorder is particularly important , because it can be misdiagnosed as another mental illness , particularly a mood disorder
- People with borderline personality are likely to have
Co-occurring mental health problems
Specific disorders as follows
1. Paranoid personality disorder is a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted asmalevdent
2. cchzoid personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings
3. schizotypal personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with reduced capacity for close relationships , it is also characterized by distortions of thinking and perception and eccentric behavior
4. antisocial personality is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others
5. histronic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of excessive emotion and attention seeking
6. narcissitic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity in fantasy or actual behaviour admiration and lack of empathy
7. avoidant personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of social inhibition , feelings of inadequacy and hyper sensitivity to negative evaluation
8. dependent personality disorder is a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of which leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation
9. obsessive compulsive personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness control at the expense of flexibility openness and efficiency
10. borderline personality is a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships , self image moods , and control over impulses under standing borderline personality disorder is particularly important because it can be misdiagnosed as another mental illness , particularly a mood disorder
People with border line personality disorder are likely to have:
- Wide mood swings
- Inappropriate anger of difficulty controlling ange
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Recurrent suicidal behavior , gestures of threats or self harming behavior
- Impulsive and self destructive behavior
- A pattern of unstable relationships
- Persistant unstable relationships
- Fear of abandonment
- Periods of paranoia loss of contract with reality
Co-occurring mental health problems personality disorders often co-occur with other mental illneses Harmful alcohol; and other drug use often co-occurs with personality disorders particularly borderline personality.this makes treatment more ,complex . and effectively managing alcohol and other drug use is important disorder , this makes treatment more complex and effectively managing alcohol and other drug use is important
WHAT CAUSES PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Personality disorders develop in child hood and the thoughts and behaviours become increasingly ingrained in adulthood
Some personality disorders are more common in men( in antisocial personality disorder ) and others are more common in women I,e borderline personality disorder
Many people with a personality disorder do not seek help until after years of distress , if at all , this contributes to our lack of knowledge about their causes and development
Different causes appear to be associated with the different types of personality disorders , however ,like most mental illnesses , the causes appear to be a complex like most mental illnesses the causes appear to be a Combination of genetic factors , bio chemical factors and individual , family and environmental factors.
What causes border line personality disorder ?
It is well established that the tendency to develop borderline personality disorder line runs in families , this is similar to a predisposition to other illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease
There is some evidence that border line personality disorder may be related to a chemical imbalance in the brain , childhood abuse , neglect and child separation from caregivers or loved ones are believed to be major contributing factors , particularly sustained and severe abuse , women are more likely to develop borderline personality disorder than men
What treatment is available ?
The range of treatments for personality disorders is growing , the type of treatment depends on the type of personality disorder , many personality disorders are related to other mental illnesses
For border line personality disorder , psychological therapies are the main treatment approach , dialectical behavior therapy ( det)is a form of cognitive behavior
An important aim of treatment for people with borderline personality disorder is managing self-harm and suicidal behavior DBT has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours is sought the more effective it is likely to be the family and friends of people with a personality disorder can often feel confused and distressed , support and education as well as better community understanding , are an important part of treatment
Personalty development
There is a deep interest for personality development specially among the youth , they are in hurry and expect instant change in the personality , in fact they do not understand the difference between change and development, it is quite possible to change ones personality overnight , the beauty parlour hair dressing , really made garments cosmetics and high heel shoes can do this magic , which is only a temporary change and does not help in developing the real personality .it is not advisable to resort to such cheap methods , wasting time , money and energy there are four dimensions of human personality physical , mental , intellectual and spiritual , the harmonious growth of all these aspects constitute real personality one must strive for sound health , strong mind , pure intellect and spiritual growth simultaneously
1 PHYSICAL DIMENSION
Human body is a rare gift of god . good health is the source of happiness and success in life , since body and mind are closely related to each other, ill health causes mental worries and depression , not enabling to pursue a definite goal in life swami Vivekananda has rightly said that most of our miseries are caused by our physical weakness . our ancient teachers said the body is the means for the pursuit of religion , there fore it is our duty to maintain good health
2 MENTAL DIMENSION
Mind is superior to the body but not vice versa . Mind is a repository of thoughts . negative and evil thoughts make the mind weak . weak and uncontrolled mind always succumbs to temptations , creating havoc for a person the habit of brooding over failures give rise to negative thoughts , swami Vivekananda,s words will certainly help us to overcome such weakness , he said the remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness , but thinking of strength , teach men of the strength that is already with in them
There are a few fortunate souls who are lucky enough to attain success with out pit falls , the rest have to pass attain success , but the real hero is he who welcomes challenges in life and faces them with boldness and courage , such person crssing all the hardless comes successfully like a lion.of late people especially student have become so sensitive that a little admonition from parents or fewer marks in examination are enough to disturb their minds violence crime , killing , committing suicide are the outcome of weak minds, strong mind acts like a friend , but the weak uncontrolled and frustrated mind acts like an enemy and leads to destruction here are a few observations about strong and weak mind in examination
Here are a few observations about strong and weak minds
STRONG MIND
1 it always remains calm even in advertises
2 it never succumbs to temptations and develops tremendous
3 courage to say no to immoral things it always remains free from prejudiced , suspicion and jealousy .
4 clarity of thinking makes it possible to take right decisions and come to right judgements
5 positive thinking concentration fearful , adventures and self confidence are the vital ,of strong mind
WEAK MIND
1 it gets irritated Such mind can easily succumb to temptations like bribery stealing stealing etc
2 it gets irritated and loses its temper over trifling matters reacts violently
3 due to confusion , suspicion , prejudice , it fails to take the right decision and make in partial judgements
4 such mind always comprises with and surrenders evil forces
5 it can not face challenges in life and tries to escape from them by adopting easy and cheap methods
6 such mind always takes resources to weeping and grumbling
7 such mind never appreciates good qualities in others
8 restlessness, fear , tension , laziness , frustration superstition and negative
Thinking are the main characteristics of weak mind
Even weak and uncontrolled mind can be controlled by applying strong mind
The body needs nutritious food , so does the mind need good ideas , thought power is a great source for strengthening the mind , Sri Ramakrishna used.
That mind is just like a laundered cloth , what ever color you dip in, it will take the same color whatever color you dip in , it will take the same color , our actions are the concrete forms of our thoughts , once we change our any of thinking and develop a habit to think noble positive ideas , it will bring tremendous change in our conduct and behaviour . our conduct and behavior , Swami Vivekananda has given us hope when he said he said whatever you think , that you will be , if you think yourselves weak , weak you will be , if you think yourselves weak , weak you will be , if you think yourselves strong , you will be , under estimating one,s own capacity and constant thinking in a negative way such as , I am good for nothing , I am hopeless , I am worthless , I am a sinner , is a prime cause of our mental weakness , tremendous powers hidden with in us the only way to bring it out
Habit of reading , good mind – strengthening and positive literature always provides healthy food for our mind , selection of such reading material and the company of good people certainly, enhance our mental strength Swami Vivekananda literature is the most inspiring and a store house of all positive and constructive ideas , when there is enough strength in body we can understand , assimilate and practice such positive such positive , ideas in our life often evil company , vulgar and cheap novels and often evil company , vulgar and cheap novels and movies create mental perversions resulting in all types of psychological complexes and nervous weakness , therefore , one must carefully avoid such things though the practice of regular medication , it is quite possible to improve our mental strenghth , practice of meditation helps us to overcome depression tention and restlessness and makes the mind steady by controlling negative impulses and emotions , it helps us directly by erasing the bundle of tendencies from sub-coscious mind , which is the root cause of problems there accumulated tendencies are problems , these accumulated tendencies are products of our own post thoughts and actions , meditation helps us in replacing these negative and unwanted tendencies with positive and divine thoughts , so positive thinking , habit of reading good books and practice of meditation are the few means to improve our mental strength , which forms a part of our personality.
Intellectual dimension ; the strength is of our types I,e the mental , the intellectual and the spiritual intellectual strength is superior to physical and mental strength and hence it forms an important part of our personality , harmonious growth of physical , mental , intellectual and spiritual dimension is essential for all round , development of personality , struggle for perfection in all these aspects will ultimately lead us to real personality , once we succeed in doing that there will be a tremendous qualitative change in our lives
Phobias ; minor fears , which do not affect day to day living are common and normal they are dislikes rather than actual fears and can , if necessary , the overcome some people however , have such deep seated fear usually of a particular thing that it disturbs their life and activities and can bring on actual physical symptoms. Listed below are some common medicines that can help reduce fear in general
Symptoms / medicines
1. sudden panic , great fear and anxiety , a fear of death but also fear of the future , physical and mental restlessness and agitation . irrational fears about the dark shadows , crossing a road recurrent fear full ideas about death or dying at a certain time .–Aconitum
2. apprehension before the event , melancholia , a lack of self confidence impulsive and wants to think in a hurry a desire for sweat things do things in a hurry – .a desire for sweet things . diarrhea comes on from fear . –argentum nitricum
3. fears loss of reason and misfortune apprehensive – calcarea carb
4. emotional excitement and fear lead to bodily illness, dull and list less , stage fright and examination fears –gelsemium
5. fearful , hales , being alone –kali carb
6. multiple , phobias are experienced , very sensitive – phosphoros a fear of being
7. A fear of being alone the dark liking sympathy . may weep easily and be timid, moods are constantly changing a dependence on others .alternating with anger and rage when criticised and of the dark one and the dark liking sympathy . may weep easily and be timid and irresolute .–pulsatilla
8. restless excitability , alternating with agitation and a conviction that death is imminent . jealous – apis mellifica
9. time seems to pass too slowly alternating with restless frustration, great anxiety and unease aversion to being left alone restlessness and inability to stay in one place time seems to pass too slowly alternating with restless . frustration –arsenicum album
10. great anxiety and uneasy aversions to being left alone restlessness and inability to stay in one place a fear of heights of being in a crowded place .great apprehension anticipating –a stressful occasion such as a driving test –argentum nitricum
Obsessions
An obsession is a persistent and often irrational concern that may lead to normal actions , such as hand washing , being repeated so frequently as to be unreasonable. .the following homoeopathic medicines may help the conditions but you may need a , constitutional medicine to solve the problem homoeopathic medicines
1. a preoccupation with death and dying feelings of utter worthlessness (see your doctor urgently)– arum metallicum
2. feelings that the body and mind are separated that the person is being controlled weak exhausted and has poor memory and concentration – anacardium
3. jealousy and suscpicion especially in sexual matter s angery with self doubt . a fear of heart disease or insanity – lachesis
4. fear and anxiety with a compulsion to do certain . unable to talk about emotions . spasm s and muscular cramps. – cuprum met
5. compulsive superstitions , A fear heart disease and cancer prone to sudden rational impulses of thinking –argentum met
6. a precaution a fear of with failure and an obsession with details . feelings of futility and weakness over sensitive and chilly – silica
7. mind is filled with all kinds of fears and speculation a fear of disease , cancer rejection and failure- sulphur
8. violent,active and obsesessional feelings fixed , rigid, ideas and is angry and impatient face is often flushed and angry. face is often flushed – belladonna
