Personality Disorders-  Could it be the cause for Toxic behaviour?

Personality disorders are formal mental health conditions -  each with a list of symptoms that involve behaviours, thoughts, emotions that impact the person's quality of life.

Personality disorders are a result of the below mentioned factors that has influenced the individual's life –

• Genetic Inheritance
• Biological processes
• Cultural experiences
• Traumatic situations
• Childhood relationships

People with personality disorders experience difficulties responding to the demands of life, we need to understand that this is not a personal choice.

With a personality disorder, you typically experience thoughts and emotions, that diminish your ability to – connect and bond with people, deal with and adapt to stress, and effectively solve problems.

Lets look at an example – in a scenario where you lose your job, you might be prone to blaming your coworkers and getting into a fight with your boss. You might not realize how some of your behaviours might have led you to lose your job. It is true that people who are not living with a personality disorder, could have the same reaction. But if you cope with stress in a similar way every time and these behaviours are causing ongoing problems – a mental health professional may reach the diagnosis of a personality disorder.

It is important to note that there is no “one” cause for a personality disorder to develop.

It is not clear to clinicians, why not everyone reacts the same way to external and internal factors. This is why experts believe the cause might be a specific combination of the factors mentioned earlier in this article.

Personality disorders tend to appear in adolescence or early adulthood, people with these disorders often do not recognize that they have problems and are often confusing and frustrating to those around them.

What are some of the telltale signs to look out for ?

While the signs vary  depending on the type of personality disorder – there are some common signs that indicate that a person might have a personality disorder.

• Suspicion and distrust of others.
• Taking impulsive risks.
• Strange or unpredictable behaviour.
• Need for instant gratification.
• Extreme mood swings or emotional outbursts.
• Unstable self-image.
• Inconsistencies in values and goals.
• Insensitive to others and unable to empathise with others.
• Having difficulty recognizing boundaries between themselves and others.
• They have trouble maintaining relationships at home and at the workplace due to their style of relating with people being inconsistent, detached, irresponsible and abusive.