AccordingtotheNationalInstituteof

MentalHealth(2014),itisestimatedthat
approximately9.1%ofthegeneralUS
populationhasapersonalitydisorder.
Approximately1%ofpeopleover18
yearsoldhaveantisocialpersonality
disorder,5.2%haveavoidantpersonality
disorder,and1.6%haveborderline
personalitydisorder.
Costtosociety
According to the National Institute of Mental
Health (2008), the United States spends
approximately $193 billion a year on major
mental health disorders.

NationalInitiatives
According to healthypeople.gov (2013),
the federal government is beginning to
work on a health reform legislation that
will give attention to the providing of
services to people with mental illness and
substance use disorders, including access
to and coverage for treatment and
prevention services.
National Education Alliance Borderline
Personality Disorder (2014) developed a
program designed for the family members
of persons with Borderline Personality
Disorder.
Family Connections: a 12-week course;
weekly meeting provide education and
provide support to people who are in a
relationship with someone who have

CommunityResources

-Department of Health
E-mail: admin@amhd.org
Internet: http://www.amhd.org
-State Protection and Advocacy Agency
E-mail: info@hawaiidisabilityrights.org
-Hawaii Families As Allies
E-mail: hfaa@hfaa.net
References

Implicationsofcare
People with personality disorders are often
high users of health resources and demands
for care can be great. Assessment for acute
risks is important to managing their care,
knowing that impulsive & suicidal behaviors
are a cry of distress. Health care
professionals must maintain therapeutic
relationships with these patients and avoid
personalizing their reactions.
Emphasis on patient education, compliance,
and support systems are the keys in success
of treating someone with a personality
disorder (Fortinash & Worret, 2012).

-Amminger, G., Chanen, A. M., Ohmann, S., Klier, C. M., Mossaheb, N.,
Bechdolf, A., & ... Schfer, M. R. (2013). Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Supplementation in Adolescents With Borderline Personality Disorder and
Ultra-High Risk Criteria for Psychosis: A Post Hoc Subgroup Analysis of a
Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. Canadian Journal Of
Psychiatry, 58(7), 402-408.
-Fortinash, K., & Holiday Worret, P. (2012). Psychiatric mental health
nursing, (5th ed.). St Louis: Elsevier Mosby.
- Hogan, M. A., Gaylord, C., Gruener, R., Rodgers, J., Zalice, K. K. (2008).
Mental Health Nursing. Reviews & Rationales. Personality Disorders.164
- National Education Alliance Borderline Personality Disorder. (2014).
About BPD. Retrieved from http://www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com/
-National Institute of Mental Health. (2014) Borderline Personality Disorder.
Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderlinepersonality-disorder/index.shtml#pub7
-National Institute of Mental Health. (2014). The numbers count: mental
disorders in America. Retrieved from
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mentaldisorders-in-america/index.shtml

Personality
Disorder
ChristinaChow
SunYoungHelmer
AmberSuzuki

Treatment
(Fortinash&Worret,2012;nimh.nih.gov2014)

Etiology
Personality disorders are thought to be
influenced by genetics and environmental
factors. Childhood trauma and parental
neglect may contribute greatly to the
development of a personality disorder.
Onset usually occurs in adolescence or
early adulthood (Fortinash & Worret, 2012).

DSMIV
criteria

AxisII:A pattern of behavior that deviates

from expectations of ones culture. The
pattern is manifested in two or more of the
following areas: cognition, affectivity,
interpersonal functioning & impulse control.
The pattern can be inflexible, lead to distress
or impairment, stable and chronic, and may
not be a manifestation of another mental
disorder or due to physiological effects of a
substance or general medical condition

SignsandSymptoms
(Fortinash & Worret,
2012, p. 299).

Signs and symptoms of personality disorders

can range from mild to severe depending on
the type of disorder.
Panic, depression, rage, frantic actions,
impulsiveness, dysfunctional relationships,
distorted self-mage, suicidal thoughts or
behaviors, mood swings, feelings of
emptiness, difficulty with anger control,
stress related paranoidal thoughts, and selfdissociation.
A person must show a continuing pattern of
at least five of these symptoms to be
diagnosed with a personality disorder
(Fortinash & Worret, 2012, p. 303-304).

Psychotherapyisthefirstlineoftreatmentfor
personalitydisordersandmaybedonein
groups,withfamilymembers,orindividually.
Medicationhasnotbeenapprovedspecifically
totreatpersonalitydisorders,butmaybeused
inconjunctionwithpsychotherapytotreatment
othercoincidingconditionslikedepression,
anxiety,oraggression.

TypesofPsychotherapy:
CognitiveBehavioralTherapy(CBT)
CBTfocusesthepatientongivingthepatient
toolstousethathelpthemtorecognizetheir
dysfunctionalbehaviorandchangetheir
thoughtprocesswhenbeingfacedwitha
stressor
DialeticalBehavioralTherapy(DBT)
DBTinvolvesusingdialogue&possiblyrole
playtohelpapatientrecognizeareasof
relationshipsandsituationsthatcausethem
increasedstressandleadtonegativefeelings
andbehavior.
SchemafocusedTherapy
Schemafocusedtherapyisusedinconjunction
withCBTandfocusesonthewaythepatient
viewsthemselves,theirselfimage.Reframing
thewayapatientviewthemselvesmayhelpto
correctanynegativeassociationthatmaystem
fromchildhoodexperiences.

Psychopharmacology
According to Hogan et al. (2008),
antipsychotic agents may be prescribed on a
short-term basis and
psychopharmacotherapy can be used to
improve specific symptoms of personality
disorder.
Medications such as SSRIs, anxiolytics, mood
stabilizers, and antipsychotics can help
manage symptoms and treat other conditions
associated with personality disorders such as
depression, anxiety, and drastic changes in
mood.
EvidenceBasedArticle
Omega-3 acids treatment group with
personality disorder significantly improved
functioning and reduced psychiatric
symptoms compared with placebo
(Amminger et al., 2013)

Whatsbeingdoneandisitworking?
According to the National Institute of Mental
Health (2014), personality disorders are
difficult to diagnose and many times this
condition is misdiagnosed or under
diagnosed. A thorough interview and
discussion about symptoms by an
experienced mental health professional can
detect a personality disorder, but a thorough
medical exam must also be done to rule out
any other causes of symptoms.

LackofProductivity
Science is still working to improve diagnosis
and treatment of personality disorders.
There is no single test that can definitively
diagnose someone. Neuro imaging studies
are showing differences in brain structure