READ: Personality Disorders
Challenges
Challenges
Management and treatment of personality disorders can be a challenging and controversial area, since symptoms are enduring and affect multiple areas of functioning. Community mental health services may view individuals with personality disorders as too complex or difficult, and may directly or indirectly exclude individuals with such diagnoses or associated behaviors. The disruptive nature of individuals with personality disorders makes them, quite possibly, the most challenging group of conditions to manage.
Additionally, an individual may not consider their personality to be a disorder, or the cause of problems. This may be the patient's lack of insight into their own condition, an ego-syntonic perception of the problems with their personality that prevents them from experiencing it as being in conflict with their goals and self-image, or by the simple fact that there is no distinct or objective boundary between 'normal' and 'abnormal' personalities. Unfortunately, there is substantial social stigma and discrimination related to the diagnoses.