Personality Disorders
Understanding and Navigating Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders Treatment for Professionals
Dialectical behavior therapy, originally designed to treat people with borderline personality disorder, is a cornerstone of our treatment approach at Thrive Virtual IOP. Fill out the form below, or give us a call, to learn how we support people with a range of personality disorders.
How are Personality Disorders diagnosed?
Personality disorders are diagnosed by assessing thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationships, considering their persistence and impact on life. This includes using DSM-5 criteria, interviews, questionnaires, and observing behavior
How does Thrive treat Personality Disorders?
Thrive takes a trauma-informed, attachment-focused, and empathic relational approach to working with clients diagnosed with personality disorders. We draw from existential, contemporary psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral, skills-focused interventions to support short-term empowerment and long-term relief.
Group work allows our clients a blank slate and shared space to explore personal stories and provide mutual validation and support.
Difficulties in attachment and stress within interpersonal relationships are often pervasive experiences for clients experiencing personality disorders, and the virtual space can provide a safe, predictable, home-based opportunity to connect with others and explore difficulties in relating in healthy, supported ways.
Virtual IOP Therapy
Options for Personality
Disorders
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Originally formulated to assist individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in enhancing their emotional regulation and interpersonal skills, DBT techniques have proven beneficial across a spectrum of mental health issues, encompassing various personality disorders. They equip individuals with personality disorders with tools to navigate intense emotions, bolster emotional awareness, refine impulse control, and improve their communication abilities.
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ACT aids individuals with personality disorders in embracing their emotional experiences without critique, discerning their fundamental values, and subsequently aligning their behaviors with these values. It provides individuals with techniques to manage challenging emotions, curtail impetuous actions, and boost their overall wellness. Essentially, ACT empowers individuals to exert more control over their symptoms associated with personality disorders.
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Psychodynamic therapy aids individuals with personality disorders in unraveling how early life events and subconscious thought processes might influence their symptoms. Through candid discussions and establishing a robust therapeutic alliance, clients can uncover the foundational aspects of their personality disorder. Gradually, these revelations can assist individuals with personality disorders in enhancing their self-regard and adopting more effective coping strategies, thereby reducing their overall symptoms. Although psychodynamic therapy contributes to the treatment of personality disorders, it is a more extended form of therapy that necessitates a dedicated commitment to achieve enduring transformation.
FAQs on Personality Disorders
- Cluster A personality disorders: Includes disorders like paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders. People in this group exhibit peculiar behavior, struggle with relationships, and may feel isolated or paranoid.
- Cluster B personality disorders: Encompasses disorders such as borderline, antisocial, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders. People with cluster B disorders have intense, unpredictable behavior patterns that affect relationships, impulsivity, and emotions.
- Cluster C personality disorders: This cluster includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. People in this category often experience high anxiety, fear, and perfectionism, leading to social avoidance, excessive reassurance-seeking, and rigid behaviors.
- Ongoing behaviors, thoughts, and inner experiences that deviate from cultural norms
- Difficulty forming and maintaining relationships
- Persistent emotional instability
- Impulsivity
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Engagement in self-destructive or risky behaviors
- Maladaptive coping strategies
- Limited capacity for empathy and insight
- Challenges in adapting to life’s demands and effective interpersonal interactions
The disorder varies in prevalence depending on the specific disorder and population studied. Generally, they affect around 10 to 15% of the population, with borderline personality disorder (BPD) being among the most prevalent at 1 to 6%. The rates may be higher in clinical populations seeking mental health treatment, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment when necessary.
- Genetics: People with a family history of personality disorders may be more at risk for developing a personality disorder.
- Childhood experiences: Trauma or neglect can shape maladaptive coping strategies and interpersonal patterns associated with personality disorders.
- Environmental influences: Cultural and social factors can impact the expression and prevalence of certain traits and behaviors associated with personality disorders.
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