Personality Disorders

RESOURCES

Book Recommendations:

“I Hate You-Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality” by Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Staus

“Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving & Thriving with the Self-Absorbed” by Wendy T. Behary

Helpful Websites:

https://amiquebec.org/borderline/

https://amiquebec.org/support/

https://muhc.ca/mental-health/page/personality-disorders-program

Where personality intrigues us, personality disorders scare and bewilder us. You might be grappling with your own PD or you might be struggling in a relationship with someone with a PD, diagnosed or not.

Have you ever met someone whom you would define as dramatic in some way? Maybe someone who is off in some indefinable way? Do you yourself struggle to get through life without drama or feel different from others, but can’t put your finger on how?

Imagine going through life with only one (instead of many) personality trait. If I needed to rescue a wild kitten, I could call on personality traits of patience and gentleness. If I needed to stand up for a friend who was being unfairly treated at work, I could use personality traits of boldness and feisty-ness. But if all I had was the personality trait of grandiosity (as in the case of narcissism), I would only rescue the kitten and help the friend if it brought me greatness. If all I had was suspicion (as in the case of paranoia), I would not trust either. If all I had was avoidance (avoidant PD) I would run for the hills. If all I had was instability (borderline PD), I wouldn’t even be able to predict how I might react.

Personality disorders can be very difficult on a number of levels for those who experience them and for those who are around people with them. In many (but not all) cases, treatment helps.