Whether you're sociable, reserved, funny or forthright, everyone who knows you would likely list the same traits when describing your personality. These characteristics are the combined product of your heredity and early life experience, and they are fixed by the time you reach adulthood.

People with personality disorders have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, which often limit their ability to function in relationships and at work. Depending on the disorder, their personalities are generally described in more-negative terms: dramatic, clingy, antisocial or obsessive.

Among the 10 conditions that are considered personality disorders, some have little in common. Doctors typically group the personality disorders that have shared characteristics into one of three clusters:

• Cluster A includes personality disorders marked by odd, eccentric behavior, including paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders.
• Cluster B personality disorders are those defined by dramatic, emotional behavior, including histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial and borderline personality disorders.
• Cluster C personality disorders are characterised by anxious, fearful behavior and include obsessive-compulsive, avoidant and dependent personality disorders.

There's no cure for these conditions, but therapy and medication can help. The symptoms of some personality disorders also may improve with age and some are said to mature out of the disorder whether by learning effective coping strategies to manage the distress that causes the symptoms or because the person has undertaken treatment that helps them manage the effects on their life. 

Facts

• 25% of the population will at sometime in their lives, experience an anxiety disorder ranging from generalised anxiety to specific phobias and more debilitating disorders.
• Most common age of onset is late adolescence - mid thirties although it isn't confirned to this group as childhood anxiety is well evidenced as well as anxiety arising in the latter years of life.
• Anxiety disorders reportedly affect women somewhat more than men.
• Anxiety disorders are the most treatable of all mental illnesses.
• Co-morbidity with anxiety is common for example Depression often accompanies anxiety disorders and addictions often present as co-existing problems.
• Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), a type of talking therapy to help the person understand the impacts is reported to be 80-90% effective.
• Alcohol and drugs are often used to self-medicate for anxiety and panic.
• Unresolved, on-going high stress levels put all individuals at risk of developing an anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Characterized by unrealistic or excessive level of worry and anxiety which persists for a period of at least six months and interferes with normal functioning. Persons with GAD also worry about situations over which they have little or no control. A combination of therapy and anti-anxiety medications can be helpful in treating this disorder. The medication can decrease the individual's overall anxiety. Medication however should be taken cautiously as many anti-anxiety medications have addictive properties. Always consult your health professional and ask about this. Therapy will assist the individual in understanding the thoughts and behaviours that lead to the anxiety. The therapist/support group can assist the individual by teaching relaxation techniques, more appropriate coping skills, and lifestyle changes that will decrease the anxiety.

Panic disorder

Characterised by recurrent panic attacks, four or more a month or by one or more panic attacks followed by persistent fear of another. A panic attack is a sudden unprovoked, emotionally intense experience of implementing doom, mortal danger, fear of dying or losing control. People suffering a panic attack can believe they are dying, having a heart attack, or losing control of themselves.

Physical symptoms:

• shortness of breath
• palpitations
• dizziness
• trembling
• nausea
• hot flashes or chills

Although panic disorder is one of the more common and curable anxiety issues, many with this problem never seek treatment, and those who do are often misdiagnosed. Many people think they are having a heart attack or stroke. A combination of therapy and anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medications can be used to treat panic disorder. Self-help is a key component to recovery. By practicing breathing techniques or various cognitive behavioral therapy, individuals can lessen the intensity of panic attacks or even prevent them.

Phobias

Phobias - the most common anxiety disorder - are out-of-the-ordinary, irrational, intense, persistent fears of certain objects or situations. It involves a sense of dread so intense that suffering individuals do everything possible to avoid the source of the fear.

• Fears related to animals (spiders, dogs, insects)
• Fears related to the natural environment (heights, thunder, darkness)
• Fears related to blood, injury or medical issues (injections, broken bones, falls)
• Fears related to specific situations (flying, riding an elevator, driving) 
• Other (choking, loud noises, drowning)

These categories encompass an infinite number of specific objects and situations. There is no official list of phobias, so clinicians and researchers make up names for them as the need arises. This is typically done by combining a greek (or sometimes Latin) prefix that describes the phobia with the phobia suffix, for example, a fear of water would be named by combining hydro (water) and phobia (fear). There's also such a thing as a fear of fears (phobophobia).

Some of the more common phobias include:

Specific phobias (previously called simple phobias)

Characterized by intense, and persistent fear of a particular object, activity, or situation. Individuals with specific phobias typically develop anticipatory anxiety at the prospect of confronting whatever they fear and will do anything they can to avoid it.

Social phobia

A persistent fear of finding oneself in situations that might lead to scrutiny by others and humiliation or embarrassment. Situations associated with social phobia include speaking, or writing in public, or using public restrooms.

Agoraphobia

A complex set of fears and avoidance behaviours associated with being alone or feeling trapped in a public place. Typically, agoraphobia develops after individuals have experienced the frightening symptoms of a panic attack or a series of attacks and associate them with specific places or situations. The person's apprehension can be so overwhelming that they restrict their activities to avoid feared places: in extreme cases, they become virtual prisoners in their own homes.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Occurs after exposure to an extreme mental or physical stress provoking event - usually involving actual or threatened death or serious injury to self or others. Experiences that could provoke this disorder include war, abuse - sexual/physical/emotional, kidnap, torture and disasters such as fire, flood or plane crash.

PTSD is characterized by symptoms that persist for one month or more and include re-experiencing of the event, avoidance of stimuli associated with it, numbing of general responsiveness, and signs of increased arousal (e.g., sleeplessness, irritability, hypervigilance).

Individuals with PTSD may require different types of help at different stages. Anti-depressant medications may be used to reduce nightmares, flash backs, panic attacks, and episodes of anxiety. Medication should be prescribed only as part of a treatment plan that includes working through traumatic memories in therapy.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Can be a source of significant distress and is characterised by recurrent time-consuming obsessions and/or compulsions that impair the ability to function or perhaps form relationships and are a source of significant distress. People with OCD often feel compelled to perform some routine or ritual that helps relieve the intense and anxiety brought on by the obsession. The obsession is the thought process and the compulsion the act. 

The most common obsessions are doubt, contamination, and thoughts or images of violence. The most common compulsions include hoarding, counting, and repeating. OCD may begin in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. About one-third of those with the disorder are children or teenagers.

A combination of behavioural therapy and medication can help as many 90 percent of individuals with OCD, with symptoms disappearing entirely for about a third of affected persons. Thew therapy focuses on understanding the thoughts which then influence the compulsive behaviour. 

Social Anxiety Disorder

In a social anxiety disorder often persons will avoid the feared situation at all costs, thus limiting their opportunities for career advancement, relationships and pleasure. Inability to perform daily activities like eating in restaurants, organising their finances at the bank or using a public bathroom can seriously limit their lives. The individual often believes that all eyes are on them and that others are criticising and belittling them.

Someone with social anxiety disorder may see themselves as "a loser", "stupid", "dumb", when in fact they are more often highly intelligent and capable. Self-confidence and self-esteem are low.

Like other Anxiety Disorders, Social anxiety disorder is highly treatable. Effective treatments may involve a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and medication. 

 

Anorexia nervosa

Characterized by a drastic weight loss from extreme food restriction. Most individuals with anorexia don't recognise how underweight they are. Even when down their weight is below the minimum requirement for their age and height, these individuals may still "feel fat," making it difficult to persuade them to seek help. Alternatively, they may know that they are wasting away physically but experience an intense food fear.

There are 2 subtypes: Restricting Type

The person does not regularly engage in binge eating and/or purging.

Binge Eating/Purging Type

The person seriously limits food intake but regularly engages in binge eating and/or purging.

The earlier the appropriate intervention occurs, the more likely the eating disorder will be successfully overcome. The best approach is psychotherapy, which can include counselling for the family, along with group therapy with other people who have eating disorders. Medical interventions such as nutrient replacement via medical procedures treatments are used in severe cases in order to sustain life. 

Bulimia nervosa

Characterized by frequent fluctuations in weight, with periods of uncontrollable binge eating followed by some form of purging. The individual will rid their body of unwanted calories through self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercising, or fasting. Individuals with bulimia may display frequent changes in weight, and are often plagued with feelings of guilt, failure and low self-esteem.

There are 2 subtypes: Purging Type

The individual regularly engages in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.

Nonpurging Type

The individual uses inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but does not engage in regular purging.

Psychotherapy, or talking therapy, is used for treatment. It comes in many forms and can take place in individual, group, or family sessions. In general, therapy helps patients learn to recognize feelings that trigger the eating disorder and to learn new ways to deal with these feelings.

Binge Eating Disorder

Also known as compulsive eating where food intake is emotionally driven to the point of discomfort or beyond. Binge eating often occurs in secret and is experienced as comforting to the individual. The amount of food consumed is definitely larger than most people would eat during similar circumstances and a lack of control over eating during the episode. This behaviour is different from bulimia in that it is not followed by any form of purging.

Some individuals with this disorder struggle with feelings of being out of control, distress, and guilt or shame about binging. Sufferers tend to be depressed and overweight with a history of diet failures.

Treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy which teaches patients techniques to monitor and change their eating habits as well as to change the way they respond to difficult situations, interpersonal psychotherapy helps people examine their relationships with friends and family and to make changes in problem areas. Treatment with medications such as antidepressants may be helpful for some individuals. Self-help groups also may be a source of support.

Major Depression

Depression Facts

• Fewer than one in three people experiencing depression seek treatment.
• Major depression can develop at any age or stage of life.
• Depression has soared over the last two decades, especially among adults.
• Young children, teenagers, men, and women of every age and every social, age related, or ethnic group can develop depression.
• Women are 2-3 times more likely than men to develop a depressive disorder.
• Rates for men and women are highest between the ages 25-44 years. The average age at onset is the mid-twenties.
• Like many other illnesses, major depression can strike out of the blue without apparent reason.

Can be mild, moderate, or severe. Identified by three different forms, melancholic, atypical and psychotic. Individuals with melancholic depression feel sad in a way they describe as different from other experiences of depression. They typically wake before dawn and cannot return to sleep, their depression is most intense in the morning.

Individuals with atypical depression are capable of joy, however fleeting, and can feel temporarily happy in response to a pleasurable occurrence. Often they have a chronic and extreme sensitivity to rejection that interferes with their ability to work and socialize. Individuals with psychotic depression, which is uncommon, lose touch with reality and may develop hallucinations, or other more bizarre psychotic phenomenon.

Most cases of major depression can be treated successfully, usually with therapy, medication or both. Some individuals for whom standard psychotherapeutic approaches and a variety of medication trials does not work may consent to Electo convulsant therapy or ECT. This therapy is used still today with varying positive levels of success. The person is sedated during this therapy. Essentially no single approach works for all depressed people, but individuals who do not improve with one form of therapy may improve with a different one.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

A recurrent mood disorder characterised by depressive episodes and related symptoms that develop at particular times of the year, most often in autumn or winter, and remit when the season ends. People with SAD, like those with other forms of major depression, often feel helpless, guilt-ridden, hopeless, have difficulty thinking and making decisions. Individuals tend to eat more, gain weight and spend many more hours asleep.

SAD often improves with a specialised treatment called phototherapy (exposure to bright light). The recommended light therapy system consists of a set of florescent bulbs installed in a metal box with a plastic diffusing screen. Light therapy should be monitored by a psychiatrist. For severe forms of seasonal depression, therapists may combine phototherapy with antidepressant medications.

Postpartum Depression

Also known as Postnatal Depression. Sadness and tearfulness are common for new mothers to experience during the first seven to ten days after child birth. These "baby blues" are not a mental disorder and do not require treatment. Postpartum depression usually develops within four weeks of delivery, although it can occur at any time in the baby's first year. Common symptoms include sadness, decreased concentration, physical complaints, feelings of guilt and unworthiness, agitation, anxiety, lack of energy, loss of interest and pleasure, and obsessive behaviours (checking on the baby constantly). A small percentage of women with postpartum depression develop psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.

The treatment is like other forms of major depression, except that women who are breast feeding may initially be treated with therapy because antidepressants, which are secreted in breast milk, may have harmful side effects on infants.

Dysthymia (chronic mild depression)

Although everyone feels discouraged, sad, or inadequate at times, people with dysthymia experience symptoms of depression most of the day, and more days than not, for a period of at least two years. These individuals may sleep and eat more or less than usual, have low self-esteem, lack energy, have problems making decisions or concentrating and may feel a sense of hopelessness. These symptoms, however, are less intense than those of major depression.

Psychotherapy, antidepressant medications, or a combination of both may be effective treatment for dysthymia. Aerobic exercise appears to be an especially helpful form of additional therapy. Treatment is very individualised and is a process that can take some time.

Bipolar Disorder (formerly called Manic Depression)

Characterised by mood swings that include episodes of depression and of mania or hypomania. Individuals describe themselves as having "higher highs" and "lower lows" than others. These moods swing from both poles, and although there may be long periods of normal mood, without treatment individuals with this disorder tend to cycle up and down for many years.

Professional therapy is essential in the treatment of bipolar disorders. Therapy plays a critical role in helping individuals to understand their illness and rebuild their lives. Medication is an important key to recovery for people with Bipolar Disorder and most people with Bipolar Disorder will need to stay on their medication for life to sustain a stable mood state. While the depressive aspect of Bipolar disorder may look like any other depression the preferred treatment is not usually an anti-depressant as these may increase the mood beyond normal and set off a maniac phase. Mood stabilisers are the medication of choice in the disorder. 

There are several types of bipolar and related disorders.

• Bipolar I disorder. You've has at least one manic episode that may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes. In some cases, mania may trigger a break from reality (psychosis).
• Bipolar II disorder. You've has at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but you've never had a manic episode. Bipolar II disorder is not a milder form of bipolar I disorder, but a separate diagnosis. While the manic episodes of bipolar I disorder can be severe and dangerous, individuals with bipolar II disorder can be depressed for longer periods, which can cause significant impairment. 
• Cyclothymic disorder. You've had at least two years - or one year in children and teenagers - of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms (though less severe than major depression). 
• Other types. These include, for example, bipolar and related disorders induced by certain drugs or alcohol or due to a medical condition, such as cushing's disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.