An individual’s personality develops over time and is shaped by a combination of environmental factors (family environment, early school environment etc) , personal experiences ( neglect or abuse etc) and genetic factors. One’s personality therefore shapes the way in which one perceives, thinks of and relates to people, incidents and experiences in life.

A personality disorder refers to a maladaptive way of thinking of, experiencing and relating to the world around you.

Personality disorders are characterised by deficits in interpersonal functioning (family members, co-workers, schoolmates). A personality disorder is characterised by behavior which deviates from the cultural norm of that individual. Symptoms or consequences of a personality disorder cause distress to the individual and symptoms are pervasive. This implies that symptoms are not restricted during periods of stress or adjustment (e.g. a new school or divorce). Personality disorders are generally diagnosed after the age of 18. This allows for full development of one’s personality before diagnostic criteria are assessed for.

An individual may have traits of one or more personality disorders but not meet full diagnostic criteria for any one of them.

Personality disorders are complex disorders and require comprehensive assessment over time to improve the accuracy of their diagnosis.

The global gold standard of treatment for most personality disorders is long term psychotherapy. Different modalities of psychotherapy may be recommended for different personality disorders e.g. Schema focused therapy is recommended for Borderline personality disorder.

Other mental disorders such as anxiety or mood disorders, commonly co-occur with personality disorders. Medication may be used to target these comorbid disorders.