General Signs of Personality Disorder

[GCAJH]

What are the most common red flags that you're interacting with a personality disordered individual? Are there any general signs that apply to all personality disorders? I know that there are many different personality disorders and that each disorder is characterized by it's own distinctions, but are there some things that they all have in common?

Would one common characteristic be that a personality disordered person would be angry seeing others around them happy? Would this characteristic apply to most types of personality disorders? I understand that there are more than one criteria needed to diagnose someone with a personality disorder. But which PD's would be more likely to include the above described symptom (if it is not present in all PD's)?

 

[Daniel E.]

Would one common characteristic be that a personality disordered person would be angry seeing others around them happy?

Of course, one doesn't need a personality disorder or mood disorder to be angry at or to be envious of others. And people can seem angry for one reason but it could be something else.

---------- Post added at 05:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:01 AM ----------

From a link Always Changing mentioned today:

Personality disorder symptoms include:

• Frequent mood swings
• Stormy relationships
• Social isolation
• Angry outbursts
• Suspicion and mistrust of others
• Difficulty making friends
• A need for instant gratification
• Poor impulse control
• Alcohol or substance abuse

Mayo Clinic: Personality Disorder

But mood disorders can do the same, with the incidence of mood disorder being higher than personalty disorder, at least since one can have both a personality disorder and mood disorder(s).

 

[Darkside]

I think it is a lifelong pattern. Almost anyone can display these characteristics when they are having a bad day.

One constant quality that I've seen in people that seem to last a lifetime, and which tells me there are deeper personality problems, is the inability to be empathetic with others and to be able to introspect or examine their own lives with any degree of objectivity. Those qualities are the antithesis of a personality disorder. In other words, if you can actually sense someone's pain and it hurts you, and you can actually doubt yourself and your own motives and it bothers you, then you don't have a personality disorder.

At least that's the way I see it.

 

[betterorworse]

The circumstances leading to disorders or mental illness can be very complex and the diagnosis itself is usually never that clear cut. In fact depending on the decade, you can be diagnosed with the latest buzzword disease, which is completely rejected by the next mental health professional you might see years later.

This is the biggest frustration patients have to live with. The science of the mind and it's ailments is extremely complicated and there is still a lot of guessing as to diagnosis and treatment today. We no longer have 'snake pits' (mental hospitals), but the wrong diagnosis and medication can be very discouraging.

All I can say is don't ever give up till you get the help you need to function. Not easy when your low self esteem makes this effort even more daunting. But so worthwhile.