Personality Disorders

Personality refers to the specific traits, thinking patterns, and behavioural styles that make up your character. Your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and perceptions towards different situations are all due to your personality. A healthy personality allows you to cope well with stress and build relationships with others (whether it is with family, friends, or co-workers). Personality disorders are a group of mental health conditions that cause you to have long-standing inflexible and unhealthy thinking patterns. They also interfere with your functioning and behaviour. These thought and behaviours patterns usually deviate from what society considers normal and acceptable. This can cause serious problems when it comes to social activities, work, school, and relationships. Individuals with personality disorders have trouble dealing with everyday situations, stresses, and other people. They often have poor, volatile relationships with others as they are unable to be flexible and understanding. This can make it difficult for them to relate to others, leading to social isolation or substance abuse. Personality disorders can cause you to have a narrow-minded view of the world around you and make it difficult to accept unfavourable life changes and demands. Personality disorders are the most common severe mental disorder, with around 10-13% of the global population suffering from some form.

There are several types of personality disorders, all with different characteristics and symptoms. They usually start to present themselves around adolescence or early adulthood and may become less evident as you grow older and get used to them. At times, you may not even realize you have a personality disorder as your thought and behaviour patterns seem normal and natural to you. Instead, individuals with personality disorders tend to blame others for their issues and challenges, causing further social and relationship-related problems. Severe work and relationship trouble and pressure from others are what usually causes people to seek help.

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Causes and Risk Factors

The causes of personality disorders aren’t yet fully known, however, both genetic factors and environmental experiences, such as childhood trauma, are believed to play a role. This is because personality forms during your childhood, and is shaped by your genes and environment. Some personality traits, such as your temperament, can be passed down through inherited genes. You are also more likely to have a personality disorder if your family has a history of personality disorders or other mental illnesses. Almost 50% of personality disorders can be attributed to family history and genetic factors. Certain biological vulnerabilities as well environmental factors and experiences can also trigger the development of personality disorders. The background you grew up in, your relationships with your family and friends, and events you experienced in your childhood are all included in environmental factors. Early childhood events can have a large influence on your behaviour. Studies have found that having an unstable or chaotic family life during childhood, and experiencing childhood trauma and abuse, including verbal abuse, can lead to a greater likelihood of developing certain personality disorders (paranoid, borderline, narcissistic, or obsessive-compulsive) in adulthood.

Signs

Personality disorders start to become recognizable in the teenage years and through early adulthood. Inflexible patterns of thinking, relating, and perceiving, poor connection with others, abnormal behaviour to everyday situations and stresses, and impaired functioning are signs of a personality disorder. In children, high reactivity to stimuli such as light, noise, and texture, can also indicate signs of personality disorders. The signs and symptoms you exhibit however will be dependent on the type of personality disorder you have. 

Types of Personality Disorders and Their Characteristics

There are 10 personality disorders stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), each with its distinct set of behavioural characteristics and symptoms. They are divided into three clusters based on similar features.

Cluster A: Odd or eccentric

• Paranoid Personality Disorder: The defining feature of this disorder is that you may interpret other people’s actions as deliberately threatening due to pervasive suspicion and distrust of others. This unjustified belief can make you perceive innocent remarks as insulting and cause you to be constantly on guard for betrayal and attacks. This then leads to angry and hostile outbursts and reactions towards people, while seeing yourself as blameless and holding on to unnecessary grudges. Paranoid personalities can make you untrusting, unforgiving, jealous, secretive, and emotionally cold or serious. The untrusting nature causes unjust recurrent suspicions of unfaithfulness and disloyalty in relationships, especially with a partner. 

• Schizoid Personality Disorder: These personalities tend to be distant, withdrawn, and introverted and have few friends or close family relationships. Schizoid personality disorder causes people to prefer solitary activities and have a disinterest and detachment from social relationships. You may also seem cold and emotionally numb to others due to limited expressions, lack of pleasure or interest in activities (sometimes even sexual), and indifference to praise or criticism. You also can find yourself unable to pick up on and follow normal social cues.

• Schizotypal Personality Disorder: This involves odd and unconventional manners, thinking patterns, speech, behaviour, and dressing. It can cause you to have strange beliefs and perceptions, such as hearing voices, believing certain incidents are actually hidden messages for you, and believing that you have ‘magical powers’ that can control people and events. This ‘magical thinking’ can make individuals believe they can read people’s minds or see the future. Schizotypal personality disorder also causes extreme social anxiety and an inability to form close relationships; this can be worsened by the eccentric nature and inappropriate feelings and responses to others.

Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic 

• Antisocial Personality Disorder: This personality disorder is characterized by impulsive, irresponsible, aggressive, irritable, and deceitful behaviour. It is linked to having a history of illegal and violent behaviours, putting yourself and others in harm's way. You may also find yourself ignoring conventional social behaviour, and instead violating others’ rights and disregarding their needs or feelings. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder tend to have a lack of respect and remorse for others and do not care about the impact their behaviour can have on others. This has a significant negative impact on relationships. This is comorbid with substance abuse disorders as it can help you relieve irritability and feelings of boredom and loneliness. 

• Borderline Personality Disorder: Borderline personality disorder causes instability in several areas of life. This includes intense unstable relationships, fluctuating self-image and identity, unstable and unpredictable emotions, impulsive and self-destructive behaviour, and sudden and extreme mood changes. This all can cause frequent inappropriate anger and outbursts. An individual with borderline personality disorder can experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety, lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Borderline personality disorder can result in intense feelings of emptiness along with a fear of being alone and abandoned. This can lead to extreme dependency and overly clingy attachments to others. You may also feel paranoid in stressful situations as it causes you to view things in extremes (either good or bad), preventing you to see any hope in difficult situations. This disorder is also linked to self-harming or suicidal threats, gestures, and behaviours. At times these threats are used to manipulate and get the attention of others. 

• Histrionic Personality Disorder: Histrionic personality disorder can make you conduct excessive emotional and dramatic attention-seeking behaviour, in order to be seen as the center of attention. It makes you an extroverted individual that needs attention, even if it means acting theatrical or using physical appearance and sexual provocation to draw it. This leads to being overly concerned with your looks and causes you to be easily influenced by other people’s opinions. Your emotions may fluctuate rapidly, and at times seem shallow. Histrionic personality disorder can make you think that your relationships with others are closer than they are. This disorder is more common among females than males.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Narcissistic personality disorder makes you believe that you are better and more important than everyone else; this is called grandiosity. It also gives you an unrealistic sense of self-importance and causes you to be preoccupied with unlimited success, constant attention, and regular praise/admiration. You may believe that others envy you. This arrogant behaviour and sense of entitlement are used to cover inadequacies at times. If an individual with a narcissistic personality is challenged or critiqued they can lash out as they are oversensitive and quite fragile in regard to failure. This can make you feel the need to exaggerate or lie about your achievements. There are usually mood swings between grandiosity and inadequacy. A narcissistic personality also causes a lack of empathy as you fail to see other people’s needs and feelings. Due to this, you may not realize when taking advantage of others through unrealistic expectations of favours. People can see this as exploitation, especially because usually they don’t get anything in return. This is highly comorbid with paranoid and antisocial personality disorders. 

Cluster C: Anxious or fearful 

• Avoidant Personality Disorder: Avoidant personalities are hypersensitive to criticism or rejection due to a fear of disapproval and embarrassment. Due to this you may avoid social and work activities that involve interpersonal connections. It makes you introverted and extremely shy around others. Because of the social discomfort and avoidance, you may feel lonely and isolated. Although you may not want to be alone and actually desire social relationships, you are too scared to socialize due to fear of ridicule and feelings of inadequacy. It causes you to be extremely hurt by disapproval, and if you say or do something embarrassing you tend to perseverate over it for a long time. Individuals with avoidant personality disorder avoid situations with new people that they are not comfortable around and are unwilling to meet others unless they are sure they will be liked. Because of this, you may only have very few close friends and family, even though you would like to have more relationships. You will be upset at this social inhibition and inability to relate to others but are unable to do anything about it.

• Dependent Personality Disorder: This makes you exhibit excessive dependent, clingy, and submissive behaviour towards others. It causes you to be helpless, feel an extreme need to be taken care of, and rely on others to make your decisions. This can cause a lack of self-confidence, and make you require constant reassurance, advice, and approval when doing things, even if they are unimportant. Because of this, it is difficult to start projects or things independently. Dependent personalities also have a fear of rejection and are easily hurt by criticism. The fear of disapproval can also make it hard to disagree with others. Additionally, you may fear you can’t be independent and fend for yourself. Dependent personality disorder can make you feel incapable when alone and cause distress if a relationship ends. You may feel a need to urgently jump into a new relationship if one ends, or even tolerate abuse and poor treatment to stay in one. This personality disorder is more common in females. 

• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: This is the most common personality disorder. It is important to note that this is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is a type of anxiety disorder. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder causes a need for extreme perfection and a preoccupation with order, control, details, and rules. Although it may make you diligent and devoted to work, the need for perfection can cause serious distress if it is not achieved and at times the strict attention to every little detail can cause you to be unable to finish the work. You may have high aspirations but may not be satisfied with your achievements, causing you to pay even more attention to detail and take on even more responsibilities. This can also make you struggle with working in groups as you need to be the one to set the rules and need to have control of everyone and all tasks. You may not trust others to do the work and believe only you can do it perfectly, making it difficult to split tasks and feeling the need to take on all the work. This over-commitment to work results in neglecting your friends and family and missing out on fun activities, leading to feelings of isolation. The constant need for perfection and following rules can make you seem rigid and stubborn, and can also make you miserly when spending money. Although it may make you reliable, orderly, and ethical, your inflexibility of rules can make it difficult to adapt to changes and make others see you as overly strict and boring. An obsessive-compulsive personality can make you highly attentive and cautious, and when things are not in your control you may feel helpless and worry about the outcome. 

Overall Symptoms

The characterizing symptoms of personality disorders vary depending on each type, as described above. However, all personality disorders tend to cause distress as they impact your relationships, social abilities, identity, and functioning. The symptoms of personality disorders begin to appear around adolescence and early adulthood and can continue until you seek help to resolve them. They can range from mild to severe. The problem with personality disorders is that you may feel that the symptoms of the disorder are just a normal part of who you are and your personality, and not realize you need to make a change. Because of this, they can cause a great deal of confusion and frustration. 

The primary symptoms of personality disorders are problems with:

• Self-identity, meaning you may develop an unstable self-image, and display inconsistencies in your values, goals, and appearances.

• Interpersonal functioning, meaning you may find it difficult to form or sustain close relationships, mainly due to insensitivity and being unable to empathize. You can also come across as confusing to others because of inconsistent, detached, abusive, hyperemotional, or reckless patterns and styles of relating. You may also struggle with boundaries between yourself and others.

Diagnosis

A licensed psychologist can diagnose you with a personality disorder based on a psychiatric evaluation and through the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria. Each personality disorder has its own set of diagnostic criteria. However, the DSM-5 also has four overall general criteria for personality disorders:

A) A pattern of inner experience and behaviour that noticeably deviates from the individual’s cultural norms in at least 2 of the following areas:

• Cognition (perception, awareness, and interpretation — of yourself, others, and situations)

• Appropriateness of emotional responses

• Social Functioning

• Impulse Control

B) This pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a wide range of situations

C) It causes clinically significant distress or impairment

D) The pattern is long-term, consistent and stable, and had early onset from adolescence or early adulthood 

The behaviour should not be better explained by any other mental disorders or medical conditions.

At times it can be confusing, as some personality disorders share similar symptoms and many people with a personality disorder also display signs and symptoms of at least one other personality disorder. You can also have more than one personality disorder. A psychologist can help determine this.

Additionally, it is not necessary that you exhibit all the symptoms of a personality disorder to be diagnosed with it; the diagnostic criteria require only a certain number of them. The specific diagnostic requirements as per the DSM-5 of each type of personality disorder are as follows:

Paranoid Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must have persistent distrust and suspiciousness of others.

This distrust and suspicion should be shown by the presence of 4 or more of the following symptoms:

• Unjustified suspicion that other people are ridiculing, exploiting, harming, or deceiving you

• Preoccupation with unreasonable doubts about the reliability of friends and co-workers

• Reluctance to confide in others fearing that the information will be used against you

• Misinterpretation of benign remarks as having hidden degrading, hostile, or threatening meanings 

• Holding grudges over small insults or jokes 

• Promptness to believe that your character or reputation has been attacked and rapidness to angrily react back

• Recurrent and unjustified suspicions that your partner is unfaithful and disloyal

Schizoid Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder, you must display a persistent pattern of detachment from and disinterest in social relationships and limited emotional expression in interpersonal interactions.

This pattern should be shown by the presence of 4 or more of the following symptoms:

• No desire for or enjoyment of close relationships, even with family members

• Strong preference for solitary activities

• Little, or no, interest in sexual activity 

• Enjoyment of very few, if any, activities

• Lack of close friends

• Apparent indifference to praise or criticism

• Emotional coldness, detachment, or flat emotional responses

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must show a persistent pattern of extreme discomfort with and less capacity for close relationships, as well as cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentric behaviour.

This must be displayed by the presence of 5 or more of the following symptoms:

• Ideas, but not delusions, of reference (a belief that certain occurrences have special meanings or are personally intended for or directed to you) 

• Odd beliefs and ‘magical thinking’ (eg, believing in psychic powers, telepathy, or mind control; preoccupation with paranormal phenomena)

• Unusual perceptual experiences (eg, hearing a voice whispering to you)

• Odd thoughts and behaviours

• Suspicions and paranoid thoughts

• Inappropriate, unsuitable, or limited emotional responses and behaviour

• Odd, eccentric, or peculiar speech and appearance

• Lack of close friends 

• Extreme social anxiety that does not lessen with familiarity and is mainly due to paranoid fears

Antisocial Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must have a persistent disregard for the rights of others.

This disregard can be shown by the presence of 3 or more of the following:

• Disregarding the law, indicated by repeatedly committing illegal acts

• Being deceitful, lying repeatedly, using aliases, or conning others for personal gain or pleasure

• Acting impulsively 

• Being easily provoked or overly aggressive and constantly getting into physical fights

• Being reckless and disregarding the safety of yourself and others

• Consistently acting irresponsibly

• Not feeling remorse when hurting or mistreating others

Antisocial personality disorder is only diagnosed in individuals above the age of 18.

Borderline Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must show a persistent pattern of unstable relationships, self-image, and emotions, and noticeable impulsivity.

 This persistent pattern is shown by 5 or more of the following:

• Fear of abandonment, and desperate efforts to avoid it 

• Unstable and intense relationships 

• An unstable self-image or sense of self-identity 

• Impulsivity in two or more areas of life that can harm you 

• Repeated suicidal and self-harming behaviour, gestures, or threats

• Extreme mood changes, lasting from a few hours to a few days

• Chronic feelings of emptiness

• Inappropriately intense anger or difficulty controlling anger

• Paranoid thoughts or dissociative symptoms (out of touch with reality) triggered by stress

Histrionic Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must possess a persistent pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behaviour.

This pattern can be displayed by 5 or more of the following symptoms:

• An excessive need to be the center of attention

• Inappropriately sexual, seductive, or provocative interactions with others 

• Rapidly changing and shallow emotional expression

• Consistent use of physical appearance to gain attention

• Extremely impressionistic and vague speech

• Self-dramatization, theatricality, and extravagant expression of emotions

• Easily influenced by others or by situations (easily suggestible) 

• Interpreting relationships as more close and intimate than they actually are

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must have a persistent pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy.

 This pattern is shown by the presence of 5 or more of the following:

• Exaggerated and groundless sense of self-importance, and exaggerated achievements (grandiosity)

• Preoccupation with aspirations of unlimited achievements, power, intelligence, or beauty

• A belief that you are unique and superior, and should associate only with equally gifted people

• A need for constant and excessive admiration

• A sense of entitlement

• Exploitation of others to achieve your own goals, and expecting unreasonable favours from them

• A lack of empathy (inability and unwillingness)

• Envy of others and a belief that others envy them

• Arrogance and pretentious

Avoidant Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must present a persistent pattern of avoiding social contact, feeling inadequate, and being hypersensitive to criticism and rejection.

This can be shown by having 4 or more of the following symptoms:

• Avoidance of activities that involve interpersonal contact due to the fear of criticism, rejection, or disapproval by other 

• Unwillingness to meet people unless you are sure they will like you

• Reserved in relationships (even close ones) because of a fear of ridicule or humiliation

• Obsessive worry about being criticized or rejected in social situations

• Shyness in social situations because of feelings of inadequacy

• Viewing yourself as socially incompetent, unappealing, or inferior to others

• Reluctance to take personal risks or participate in new activities due to fear of embarrassment 

Dependent Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must have a persistent and excessive need to be taken care of, resulting in submissiveness and clinging.

This is shown by the presence of 5 or more of the following:

• Difficulty making decisions (even small ones) without advice and reassurance from others

• Needing others to take responsibility for important aspects of your life

• Difficulty disagreeing with others because of a fear of disapproval

• Difficulty starting projects on your own because you lack confidence in your abilities or judgements

• Willingness to go to great lengths to gain support and approval from others

• Feelings of discomfort or helplessness when alone because you fear you cannot take of yourself

• An urgent need to enter a new relationship with someone who will provide care and support if one close relationship ends

• Unrealistic fear of being left alone to take care of yourself

Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder

For a diagnosis, you must display a persistent pattern of preoccupation with order, perfectionism, and the need for control of self, others, and situations

This pattern is shown by having 4 or more of the following symptoms:

• Preoccupation with rules, order, organization, and small details

• A need for perfection that can interfere with the completion of tasks

• Excessive devotion to work and productivity, resulting in neglect of leisure activities and friends

• Excessive conscientiousness and attention to detail, and inflexibility regarding ethical and moral values

• Unwillingness to throw out worn-out or worthless objects, even those with no sentimental value

• Reluctance to split work or work with other people unless they agree to do things exactly the way you want, under your order and control

• An overly miser approach to spending money on yourself and others because you want to save it for the future 

• Rigidity and stubbornness
  
  
  
  

Comorbidity With Other Mental Health Disorders

The comorbidity of personality disorders with other disorders is very high (67%). This means that the likelihood of having another disorder while you also have a personality disorder is high, and over 50%. The most concurrent are anxiety disorders, with a 52% comorbidity rate. Other common comorbid disorders include mood disorder, impulse control disorders, major depressive disorder, substance use disorders, and childhood conduct disorder. These rates are even greater if the personality disorder is borderline personality disorder, with an 85% comorbidity rate with other disorders. The comorbidity among types of personality disorders is also quite high.

When to See a Professional

If you have any signs or symptoms of a personality disorder, you should book an appointment with a licensed psychologist. If left untreated, personality disorders can cause significant problems in your life that may get worse without treatment. Your therapist will diagnose what personality type you have and work with you to create the best-suited treatment plan for your condition. As personality disorders are highly comorbid with other disorders, it is important to seek help to resolve those issues too before they cause any more impact on your life and daily functioning.

Treatment

The best treatment for you will depend on your specific personality disorder, its severity and symptoms, and your personal situation. The treatment can require a long time, from several months to several years, as personality disorders are long-standing and ingrained into your being. The length depends on the condition, its severity, and any other comorbid disorders you may have. The treatment can involve psychotherapy, medication, or both.

The overall goal of the treatment of personality disorder is to:

• Help you understand in detail your disorder and personal issues

• Change unhealthy, inappropriate, and socially undesirable behaviour

• Modify problematic personality traits such as dependency, distrust, arrogance, and manipulativeness

• Reduce related distress and symptoms

• Help you manage other conditions that may arise due to the personality disorder, such as anxiety and depressive disorders

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy is the main way to treat personality disorders. It can help you get a better understanding of your thought, feeling, and behaviour patterns, and learn more about your personality disorder. A psychologist will learn about your condition and can provide you with strategies and tools to resolve your problems and change your attitudes and patterns. They will help you manage your disorder and its symptoms, and cope with stresses better. This can help you experience life in a healthier way without the behaviours of the disorders interfering with your daily life functioning.

The therapy can be provided individually, as couples or family therapy, or even as group therapy with friends or other people with the same disorder. This will depend on your specific needs and requirements. 

Some useful forms of psychotherapy for personality disorders include:

• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which teaches you coping skills and strategies for regulating emotions, improving relationships, and dealing with self-harming and suicidal urges.

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps you change negative thinking patterns and learn effective coping strategies so you can better deal with everyday challenges.

• Mentalization-based therapy (MBT), which teaches you to notice and reflect on your internal state of mind and your thought patterns, as well as those of others.

• Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP), which enables you to develop a more realistic and stable sense of self and view of others, and help you relate to others better through transference with your therapist.

• Psychodynamic therapy, which emphasizes the past experiences that have caused your unhealthy thought and behaviour patterns. It forces you to go into the unconscious mind where upsetting feelings and urges, and painful emotions are stored and makes you work through them.

• Supportive psychotherapy, which helps you to deal with your emotional distress and problems. Here, your therapist will listen sympathetically and will comfort, advise, and reassure you throughout. This can help with negative self-view and social isolation issues. It includes components from psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural therapies.

• Family therapy, which provides support and education to your family members about dealing with your personality disorder. It can help you and your family change your unhealthy reactions to and ways of communication with each other, and teach you skills to live happily with each other.

• Social skills training, which makes you gain insights into your disorder and teaches you healthy ways to manage your symptoms. It will also provide you with knowledge on how to reduce problematic behaviours that interfere with your relationships and normal functioning. 

Medication

Although there are no specific medications made for the treatment of personality disorders, certain psychiatric medications can help with the symptoms and related problems associated with them. They can also be useful in treating comorbid conditions.

These medications include:

• Antidepressants, which can improve symptoms such as depressed moods, anger, irritability, impulsivity, or hopelessness.

• Mood stabilizers, which work to even out mood swings, as well as reduce impulsivity, irritability, and even aggression.

• Antipsychotic medications or neuroleptics, which can be helpful with dissociative symptoms that involve losing touch with reality. At times they can even be used to reduce anxiety or anger issues.

• Anti-anxiety medications, which can help treat anxiety, agitation, and insomnia. However a downside of these is that they can increase impulsive behaviour, so are only used for certain types of personality disorders

Seeking professional treatment can help you recover from your personality disorder over time. There is no one approach that is the most useful, the treatment should be tailored towards you and your case. Some of the most effective treatment options for each personality disorder are as follows

Cluster A

Cluster B

Cluster C

FAQs

What are personality disorders?

Personality disorders are persistent patterns of thought and behaviour that evidently deviate from cultural and social norms. They are unhealthy forms of personality. These patterns are fixed and consistent across a range of situations and can cause distress and impairment. Personality disorders can impact a variety of things such as your relationships, perceptions, attitudes, actions, speech, work, and more.

How do I know if I have a personality disorder?

If you are having issues maintaining a stable self-identity and have trouble with interpersonal functioning and relationships, these can be signs of a personality disorder. Additionally, if you display unconventional and unhealthy patterns of two of the following: impulse control, social functioning, appropriate emotional response, and cognition (awareness, perception, and interpretation of yourself and others), you may be suffering from a personality disorder. If these patterns are stable and persistent across a range of situations, long term, and causing distress or impairment from normal functioning, you should see a professional psychologist for diagnosis.

How common are personality disorders?

Personality disorders are the most common severe mental disorder, with around 10-13% of the global population suffering from a certain type.

What factors contribute to the development of personality disorders?

Although there is no specific factor that causes a personality disorder, it is believed that both genetic and environmental factors play a part. Your genes and family history, as well as your childhood experiences and background, can have a significant impact on the development of a personality disorder. 

How are personality disorders treated?

There is no one specific treatment for personality disorders, as with many other disorders. There are various psychotherapy and medication-based approaches that can be effective. Psychotherapy can help change your maladaptive patterns and help you develop healthy strategies and form relationships, however, it tends to take very long (even up to a few years). Medication is a faster option however it is only effective in treating the symptoms and related comorbid conditions of the personality disorder. Drugs will only help in the short term and can also affect certain symptoms; not teaching you any skills. You can get a combination of both as a treatment. Your therapist will work with you to develop the best treatment plan for you based on the type of personality disorder and its severity.

Thrive Specialists in Personality Disorders

Dr. Kate Prozeller

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Pashmi Khare, M.Sc.

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Pashmi Khare is a CDA-licensed psychologist with MSc in Counseling Psychology from Christ University, India and has been practicing for more than 8 years in India and UAE. She provides counseling for adults, adolescents, and couples in English, Hindi, and Urdu. She has a special interest in supporting individuals with fertility issues and PCOS.

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Maša Karleuša Valkanou, M.Sc.

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Maša Karleuša Valkanou is a CDA-licensed psychologist in Dubai. As a certified Systemic Family psychotherapist, she works with individual clients, adults or children. She is specialised in work with adolescents. She works with couples, parents or the whole family together. Her work covers various psychological difficulties and background including psychotic disorders, addictions, neurotic disorders (depression, anxiety, panic attacks etc.), psychological trauma, abuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and feelings, behavioural, emotional and problems in relationships or family problems.

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Dr. Elif Celebi

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Tuna Bereket, M.A.

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Zuha Zubair, M.Sc.

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Zuha is a CDA-licensed psychologist. She holds an M.Sc. in Clinical and Abnormal Psychology from Swansea University (UK). She used a client-centered approach deeply rooted in compassion and warmth, tailoring therapeutic aid to each client based on their needs and personality. She has been trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

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Dr. Dana Jammal

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Dr. Dana is a UK-trained HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist who completed her doctorate training at City, University of London. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Studies from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Psychology from McGill University in Canada. Dana has over 10 years experience working with individuals facing a range of mental health difficulties and challenges.

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Rita Figueiredo is a Clinical and Health Psychologist with an M.Sc. from the University of Lisbon in Portugal. She is licensed by the DHA and CDA, and also holds a European Certificate in Psychology. Rita enriches her practice with four years of extensive experience. She is driven by a profound passion for understanding relationship dynamics. As a result, Rita pursued specialized training in Couples and Family Therapy. This expertise equips her with the necessary tools to assist clients in navigating complex relationship issues, guiding them towards achieving happiness and relational well-being.

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Judy Seoud, M.Ed., M.A.

Licensed Psychologist

Judy Seoud is a Licensed Psychologist and Sex Therapist with a double Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University (USA). Judy works with individuals facing issues related to anxiety, depression, anxiety, stressful life changes, communication, sex and intimacy, and social justice. She also helps couples improve their intimacy.

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Dr. Ioannis Delipalas

Consultant Psychiatrist & Medical Director

Dr. Ioannis Delipalas is a DHA-licensed Consultant Psychiatrist and the Medical Director at Thrive Wellbeing Centre. He has more than 15 years of experience in adult psychiatry and provides services in English, Greek, and Swedish

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Dr. Ash Shishodia

Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr. Ash Shishodia is a Western-trained General Adult Psychiatrist (Addiction Psychiatry endorsement) and Neuropsychiatrist with over 15 years experiencing working with an ethnoculturally diverse population. I am comfortable working with mild, moderate, and severe cases, including major mental illness, and neurological disorders with mental health.

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Our mental health professionals are here to help you, whether you need to heal or want to thrive.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you. Contact us however you feel most comfortable, for example Whatsapp message us, or feel free to call us on +971 56 895 2347. You can also email or simply send us a query via our online form. Instagram message, Facebook chat… whatever works best for you!

Our goal is to make you comfortable.