Personality Disorders Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutic Practices

Personality disorder is a common and chronic disorder. Its prevalence is estimated between 10 and 20 percent in the general population, this means that at least one in every five to ten individuals in the community has personality disorder. In general, personality disorders are diagnosed in 40–60 percent of psychiatric patients, making them the most frequent of all psychiatric diagnoses. Personality disorders are a class of mental disorders characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts and deviating markedly from those accepted by the individual’s culture.

There are many different forms (modalities) of treatment used for personality disorders: Individual psychotherapy has been a mainstay of treatment. There are long-term and short-term (brief) forms; Family therapy including couples therapy; Group therapy for personality dysfunction is probably the second most used; Psychological-education may be used as an addition; Self-help groups may provide resources for personality disorders; Psychiatric medications for treating symptoms of personality dysfunction or co-occurring conditions; Milieu therapy, a kind of group-based residential approach, has a history of use in treating personality disorders, including therapeutic communities.