Mixed Personality Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, Types and Treatments. Personality disorders are special mental conditions What to do if you suspect you have bipolar disorder

Our society consists of completely different, dissimilar people. And this can be seen not only in appearance - first of all, our behavior is different, our reaction to life situations, especially stressful ones. Each of us - and probably more than once - has come across people with, as the people say, whose behavior does not fit into generally accepted norms and often causes condemnation. Today we will look at mixed personality disorder: the limitations that this ailment entails, its symptoms and methods of treatment.

If there is a deviation from the norm in a person's behavior, bordering on inadequacy, psychologists and psychiatrists consider this a personality disorder. There are several types of such disorders, which we will discuss below, but most often diagnosed (if this definition can be considered a true diagnosis) is mixed. As a matter of fact, this term is appropriate to use in cases where the doctor cannot attribute the patient's behavior to a certain category. Practitioners notice that this is observed very often, because people are not robots, and it is impossible to single out pure types of behavior. All personality types known to us are relative definitions.

Mixed Personality Disorder: Definition

If a person has disturbances in thoughts, behavior and actions, he has a personality disorder. This group of diagnoses refers to mental. Such people behave inappropriately, they perceive stressful situations in a different way, in contrast to absolutely healthy mentally people. These factors cause conflicts at work and in the family.

For example, there are people who cope with difficult situations on their own, while others seek help; some tend to exaggerate their problems, others, on the contrary, downplay them. In any case, such a reaction is absolutely normal and depends on the nature of the person.

People who have mixed and other personality disorders, alas, do not understand that they have mental problems, so they rarely seek help on their own. Meanwhile, they really need this help. The main task of the doctor in this case is to help the patient understand himself and teach him to interact in society without harming himself or others.

Mixed personality disorder in ICD-10 should be searched under F60-F69.

This condition lasts for years and begins to manifest itself in childhood. At the age of 17-18, the formation of personality takes place. But since at this time the character is only being formed, such a diagnosis at puberty is incorrect. But in an adult, when the personality is fully formed, the symptoms of a personality disorder only worsen. And it's usually a type of mixed disorder.

In ICD-10 there is another heading - /F07.0/ "Personality disorder of organic etiology". It is characterized by significant changes in the habitual image of premorbid behavior. The expression of emotions, needs and drives is especially affected. Cognitive activity may be reduced in the area of planning and anticipation of consequences for oneself and society. The classifier contains several ailments in this category, one of them is a personality disorder due to mixed diseases (for example, depression). Such a pathology accompanies a person all his life if he does not know about his problem and does not fight it. The course of the disease is undulating - there are periods of remission, during which the patient feels excellent. Transient-mixed personality disorder (that is, short-term) is quite common. However, concomitant factors in the form of stress, alcohol or drug use, and even menstruation can cause a relapse or worsening of the condition.

Aggravated personality disorder can lead to serious consequences, including physical harm to others.

Causes of Personality Disorder

Personality disorders, both mixed and specific, usually occur on the background of brain injuries as a result of falls or accidents. However, doctors note that both genetic and biochemical factors, as well as social ones, are involved in the formation of this disease. Moreover, the social plays a leading role.

First of all, this is the wrong parental upbringing - in this case, the character traits of a psychopath begin to form in childhood. In addition, none of us understands how destructive stress really is for the body. And if this stress is excessively strong, it can later lead to a similar disorder.

Sexual abuse and other traumas of a psychological nature, especially in childhood, often lead to a similar result - doctors note that about 90% of women with hysteria in childhood or adolescence were raped. In general, the causes of pathologies that are designated in the ICD-10 as personality disorders due to mixed diseases should often be sought in the patient's childhood or adolescence.

How do personality disorders manifest?

People with personality disorders usually have accompanying psychological problems - they turn to doctors for depression, chronic tension, problems with building relationships with family and colleagues. At the same time, patients are sure that the source of their problems is external factors that do not depend on them and are beyond their control.

So, in people diagnosed with mixed personality disorder, the symptoms are as follows:

problems with building relationships in the family and at work, as noted above;
emotional disconnection, in which a person feels emotional emptiness and avoids communication;
difficulties in managing their own negative emotions, which leads to conflicts and often even ends in assault;
periodic loss of contact with reality.

Patients are dissatisfied with their lives, it seems to them that everyone around is guilty of their failures. It was previously believed that such an ailment was not treatable, but recently doctors have changed their minds.

Mixed personality disorder, the symptoms of which are listed above, manifests itself in different ways. It consists of a number of pathological features that are inherent in the personality disorders described below. So, let's look at these types in more detail.

Types of personality disorders

paranoid disorder. As a rule, such a diagnosis is made to arrogant people who are confident only in their point of view. Tireless debaters, they are sure that only they are always and everywhere right. Any words and actions of others that do not correspond to their own concepts, the paranoid perceives negatively. His one-sided judgments cause quarrels and conflicts. During decompensation, the symptoms intensify - paranoid people often suspect their spouses of infidelity, as their pathological jealousy and suspicion increase significantly.

Schizoid disorder. It is characterized by excessive isolation. Such people with the same indifference react to both praise and criticism. They are so cold emotionally that they are not able to show either love or hate to others. They are distinguished by an expressionless face and a monotonous voice. The world around for the schizoid is hidden by a wall of misunderstanding and embarrassment. At the same time, he has developed abstract thinking, a tendency to reflect on deep philosophical topics, and a rich imagination.

This type of personality disorder develops in early childhood. By the age of 30, the sharp corners of pathological features are somewhat aligned. If the patient's profession is associated with minimal contact with society, he successfully adapts to such a life.

dissocial disorder. A type in which patients have a tendency to aggressive and rude behavior, disregard for all generally accepted rules, and a heartless attitude towards relatives and friends. In childhood and puberty, these children do not find a common language in the team, often fight, behave defiantly. They run away from home. At a more mature age, they are deprived of any warm attachments, they are considered "difficult people", which is expressed in the cruel treatment of parents, spouses, animals and children. This type is prone to commit crimes.

Expressed in impulsiveness with a touch of cruelty. Such people perceive only their opinion and their outlook on life. Small troubles, especially in everyday life, cause them emotional tension, stress, which leads to conflicts, which sometimes turn into assault. These individuals do not know how to assess the situation adequately and react too violently to ordinary life problems. At the same time, they are confident in their own significance, which others do not perceive, treating them with prejudice, as patients are sure.

hysterical disorder. Hysterics are prone to increased theatricality, a tendency to suggestibility and sudden mood swings. They love to be the center of attention, confident in their attractiveness and irresistibility. At the same time, they argue rather superficially and never take on tasks that require attention and dedication. Such people love and know how to manipulate others - relatives, friends, colleagues. By adulthood, long-term compensation is possible. Decompensation can develop in stressful situations, during menopause in women. Severe forms are manifested by a feeling of suffocation, a coma in the throat, numbness of the limbs and depression.

Attention! A hysteric may have suicidal tendencies. In some cases, these are just demonstrative attempts to commit suicide, but it also happens that the hysteric, due to his tendency to violent reactions and hasty decisions, may quite seriously try to kill himself. That is why it is especially important for such patients to contact psychotherapists.

It is expressed in constant doubts, excessive caution and increased attention to detail. At the same time, the essence of the type of activity is missed, because the patient is only worried about the details in order, in lists, in the behavior of colleagues. Such people are sure that they are doing the right thing, and constantly make comments to others if they do something “wrong”. The disorder is especially noticeable when a person performs the same actions - shifting things, constant checks, etc. In compensation, patients are pedantic, accurate in their official duties, even reliable. But during the period of exacerbation, they have a feeling of anxiety, obsessive thoughts, fear of death. With age, pedantry and thrift develop into selfishness and stinginess.

Anxiety disorder is expressed in a feeling of anxiety, timidity, low self-esteem. Such a person is constantly worried about what impression he makes, tormented by the consciousness of his own far-fetched unattractiveness.

The patient is timid, conscientious, tries to lead a secluded life, because he feels safe in solitude. These people are afraid of offending others. At the same time, they are quite well adapted to life in society, since society treats them with sympathy.

The state of decompensation is expressed in poor health - lack of air, rapid heartbeat, nausea, or even vomiting and diarrhea.

Dependent (unsustainable) personality disorder. People with this diagnosis are characterized by passive behavior. They shift all responsibility for making decisions and even for their own lives to others, and if there is no one to shift it to, they feel incredibly uncomfortable. Patients are afraid of being abandoned by people who are close to them, are distinguished by humility and dependence on other people's opinions and decisions. Decompensation manifests itself in a complete inability to control one's life in the event of the loss of a "leader", confusion, and a bad mood.

If the doctor sees pathological features inherent in different types of disorders, he makes a diagnosis of "mixed personality disorder".

The most interesting type for medicine is a combination of a schizoid and a hysteric. These people often develop schizophrenia in the future.

What are the consequences of mixed personality disorder?

Such deviations in the psyche can lead to a tendency to alcoholism, drug addiction, suicidal tendencies, inappropriate sexual behavior, hypochondria.
Improper upbringing of children due to mental disorders (excessive emotionality, cruelty, lack of a sense of responsibility) leads to mental disorders in children.
Mental breakdowns are possible when performing ordinary daily activities.
Personality disorder leads to other psychological disorders - depression, anxiety, psychosis.
The impossibility of full contact with a doctor or therapist due to distrust or lack of responsibility for one's actions.

Mixed Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Personality disorder usually manifests itself in childhood. It is expressed in excessive disobedience, antisocial behavior, rudeness. At the same time, such behavior is not always a diagnosis and may turn out to be a manifestation of a completely natural formation of character. Only if this behavior is excessive and persistent can one speak of a mixed personality disorder.

An important role in the development of pathology is played not so much by genetic factors as by upbringing and social environment. For example, hysterical disorder can occur against the background of insufficient attention and participation in the life of the child from the parents. As a result, about 40% of children with conduct disorders suffer from it in the future.

Mixed Adolescent Personality Disorder is not considered a diagnosis. The disease can be diagnosed only after the puberty period is over - an adult already has a formed character that needs correction, but is not completely corrected. And during puberty, these behaviors are often the result of a "rebuild" that all teenagers go through. The main type of treatment is psychotherapy. Young people with severe mixed personality disorder in the stage of decompensation cannot work in factories and are not allowed into the army.

Personality Disorder Treatment

Many people who have been diagnosed with mixed personality disorder are primarily interested in how dangerous the condition is and whether it can be treated. For many, the diagnosis is made quite by accident, patients claim that they do not notice its manifestations behind them. Meanwhile, the question of whether it is treated remains open.

Psychiatrists believe that it is almost impossible to cure a mixed personality disorder - it will accompany a person throughout his life. However, doctors are confident that its manifestations can be reduced or even achieved stable remission. That is, the patient adapts to society and feels comfortable. At the same time, it is important that he wants to eliminate the manifestations of his illness and fully goes into contact with the doctor. Without this desire, therapy will not be effective.

Medications in the treatment of mixed personality disorder

If an organic personality disorder of mixed genesis is usually treated with drugs, then the disease we are considering is psychotherapy. Most psychiatrists believe that drug treatment does not help patients because it does not aim at changing the character, which patients mainly need.

However, you should not give up medicines so quickly - many of them can alleviate a person's condition by eliminating certain symptoms, such as depression, anxiety. At the same time, medications should be prescribed carefully, because patients with personality disorders very quickly develop drug dependence.

Antipsychotics play a leading role in drug treatment - taking into account the symptoms, doctors prescribe drugs such as Haloperidol and its derivatives. It is this drug that is most popular among doctors for personality disorders, as it reduces the manifestations of anger.

In addition, other drugs are prescribed:

Flupectinsol successfully copes with suicidal thoughts.
"Olazapine" helps with affective instability, anger; paranoid symptoms and anxiety; has a beneficial effect on suicidal tendencies.
- mood stabilizer - successfully copes with depression and anger.
"Lamotrigine" and "Topiromat" reduce impulsiveness, anger, anxiety.
Amitriptine also treats depression.

In 2010, doctors were investigating these drugs, but the long-term effect is unknown, as there is a risk of side effects. At the same time, the National Institutes of Health in the UK in 2009 released an article stating that experts do not recommend prescribing medication if there is a mixed personality disorder. But in the treatment of concomitant diseases, drug therapy can give a positive result.

Psychotherapy and mixed personality disorder

Psychotherapy plays a leading role in treatment. True, this process is lengthy and requires regularity. In most cases, patients achieved a stable remission within 2-6 years, which lasted at least two years.

DBT (dialectical - a technique that was developed by Marsha Linehan in the 90s. It is aimed mainly at treating patients who have experienced psychological trauma and cannot recover from it. According to the doctor, pain cannot be prevented, but suffering can be. Specialists help their patients to develop a different line of thinking and behavior, which will help to avoid stressful situations in the future and prevent decompensation.

Psychotherapy, including family therapy, is aimed at changing interpersonal relationships between the patient and his family and friends. Usually the treatment lasts about a year. It helps to eliminate distrust, manipulativeness, arrogance of the patient. The doctor looks for the root of the patient's problems, points them out to him. Patients with a syndrome of narcissism (narcissism and narcissism), which also refers to personality disorders, are recommended a three-year psychoanalysis.

Personality disorder and driver's license

Are the concepts of "mixed personality disorder" and "driving license" compatible? Indeed, sometimes such a diagnosis can prevent the patient from driving a car, but in this case, everything is individual. The psychiatrist must determine which types of disorders predominate in the patient and what their severity is. Only on the basis of these factors does the specialist make the final "vertict". If the diagnosis was made years ago in the army, it makes sense to visit the doctor's office again. Mixed personality disorder and a driver's license sometimes do not interfere with each other at all.

Limitations in the life of the patient

Patients usually do not have problems with employment in their specialty, and they interact with society quite successfully, although in this case everything depends on the severity of pathological features. If there is a diagnosis of "mixed personality disorder", the restrictions cover almost all areas of a person's life, since he is often not allowed to join the army and drive a car. However, therapy helps smooth out these sharp corners and live like a completely healthy person.

Over the past decades, psychiatrists have been trying to classify personality disorders, which are a persistent lack of human adaptive functions. The most complete picture has been presented in the DSM-5, the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, many questions about personality disorders remain unanswered. How many personality disorders are there? How different are they from each other? How long do symptoms of a disorder need to be present before a diagnosis can be made? And most importantly: are personality disorders treatable?

Narcissistic, antisocial, borderline personality disorder - these psychological terms are familiar to many of us due to their active use in books, films and TV shows. Thus, it can be said that personality disorders are becoming part of the culture.

However, psychiatrists and psychologists still cannot say with certainty whether personality disorders are separate diseases or whether they are all manifestations of the same mental process.

Professor Sylvia Wilson of the University of Minnesota used interpersonal theory to identify interpersonal communication styles in a given personality disorder. The style of communication is determined by the individual approach of a person to the situation of communication with another person and to relationships in general. Communication style includes the emotions that a person experiences when communicating with other people, the goals of communication, and how a person perceives and interprets communication with other people and their behavior.

A person's communication style is usually clear at the first meeting: he may seem friendly and open, or, conversely, aggressive, suspicious and cold. The idea of comparing the communication style of an individual and a personality disorder is quite natural, because it is in the course of communication with other people that a mental disorder manifests itself most clearly.

Psychological theories of interpersonal communication of the mid-20th century say: "All communication reflects an attempt by a person to establish and maintain self-esteem, avoiding anxiety." It turns out that in any relationship a person strives to feel comfortable. Recognition of one's own weakness entails a feeling of anxiety. Based on this theory, the purpose of communication for a person is to obtain external approval and confirmation of one's own significance.

Using the theory of interpersonal communication, Wilson and colleagues proposed a gradation of human behavior in the process of interacting with other people (from dominance to submission) and a gradation of emotional participation in the process of communication (from warm to cold style of communication).

During the study, Wilson and colleagues evaluated more than 4,800 questionnaires of people with borderline disorder, containing answers to questions about interpersonal relationships. The authors conducted 120 separate analyzes of interpersonal communication in various contexts: family, friendship, parent-child and romantic. The gender, age and mental disorder of the individual (clinical or non-clinical case) were taken into account. The authors were able to identify the main features of interpersonal communication for each of the 10 personality disorders.

The results of the study are useful not only for classification, but also for understanding how people with a particular personality disorder approach relationships. Understanding this allows those who are in relationships with people suffering from this or that disorder to better understand their partners.

Consider the difference between communicating with a person with a particular personality disorder.

Paranoid. People with this disorder are usually pathologically suspicious, vengeful, and cold. Sometimes they show persistence and climb into other people's business.

Schizoid. Coldness coupled with avoidance of social contact are the main features of schizoid disorder. Such people are usually extremely closed, they make contact only when necessary. People with this disorder are generally not inclined to exploit other people.

Schizotypal. People with schizotypal personality disorder usually combine features of the two previous personality disorders. They are vindictive, cold, extremely difficult to make contact. This disorder is characterized by strange, eccentric and socially frowned upon behavior.

Dissocial. This personality disorder is characterized by aggressiveness, vindictiveness, impulsiveness, and an inability to form close relationships. In another way, antisocial disorder is called psychopathy.

Border. People with this disorder are very vindictive, they are accustomed to blaming others for their own problems. One of the features of this disorder is the habit of interfering in the affairs of other people. In dealing with such people, you will often feel that they violate the boundaries of what is permitted.

Histrionic. This disorder is extremely rare. People with histrionic disorder are hysterical, they seek to establish power and dominance. They completely do not notice the boundaries in communication with others and are very surprised if someone refuses to obey them.

Narcissistic. People with this disorder are convinced of their own uniqueness and superiority over others. Behaviorally, narcissistic disorder is very similar to antisocial personality disorder. He is also characterized by dominance, vindictiveness and coldness.

Avoidant. This disorder is characterized by social isolation, excessive anxiety, excessive dependence on the opinions of others. People with this disorder do not have a desire for power. They prefer loneliness, closeness and contact with other people only when necessary.

Dependent. People with a dependent disorder are in dire need of care and attention, which they constantly try to get from other people. They are characterized by submission and at the same time the desire to manipulate others. Not having achieved what they want, they begin to take revenge on their offender.

Obsessive-compulsive. Excessive perfectionism, rigidity, restraint in terms of expressing emotions are the main features of people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Of course, this set of qualities provokes problems at work and in personal life, but people with this disorder more often than others achieve a high social status and material well-being. People with this disorder tend to pay too much attention to one side of life to the detriment of the other. Usually they devote themselves entirely to work, forgetting about the family. It is worth noting that this disorder is almost imperceptible in communication with a person, so it is not easy to diagnose it.

Summing up the above, the authors of the study conclude that personality disorders are always associated with dysfunctional patterns of behavior and communication. All of the above disorders to some extent affect relationships with other people. First of all, this influence extends to family relationships.

A better understanding of people with a personality disorder leads to more supportive relationships with them. You don't need to be a practicing psychiatrist to figure out the basic patterns of people's behavior in everyday life. By communicating with a person, you can understand what kind of disorder he suffers, and show empathy, while maintaining a realistic view of the situation.

Original article: American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Revised (DSM-5). Washington DC:Author

Translation: Eliseeva Margarita Igorevna

Editor: Vyacheslav Simonov

Keywords: personality disorder, mental disorder, psychological health

Every fifteenth inhabitant of our planet suffers from a personality disorder. Moreover, he himself hardly perceives his condition as a disease that requires an appeal to specialists. He will justify all his actions and consider his behavior normal. Treatment denies, and the consequences are unpredictable.

Personality disorder: adaptation difficulties

Personality disorder is a maladaptive pattern of behavior caused by a persistent mental disorder that is not associated with a somatic or neurological disease. This pathology is difficult to correct, because the patient does not believe that he needs treatment. There is no motivation, which is a catalyst for positive changes. The individual himself does not seek to get rid of the violation and does not make good contact with psychotherapists.

Late appeal to specialists leads to the fact that the patient gets an appointment with a psychiatrist already in the stage of deep neglect of the disease. It can be difficult to relieve symptoms and cure.

The first signs of the disease are actively manifested in adolescence. Before this period, individual episodes are possible, but only after the period of puberty can we talk about the problem. Individuals with cognitive personality disorder do not understand why others talk about any of their problems. After all, they believe that behavior and actions are normal.

People with personality disorders are poorly perceived in society. They often have difficulties in personal communication. But at the same time, patients do not feel pangs of remorse and have no sympathy for others. After a certain time, their relationship with the world is built not according to the principle of personal adaptation to society, but according to the scheme, when the society is forced to accept or not accept a problematic person. The lack of motivation and desire to be treated exacerbates the problem, since not every doctor can find an approach to such a patient, relieve the symptoms of exacerbation and help get rid of the problem.

Specific personality disorders

In Soviet times, overly emotional individuals were often called psychopaths. Such a characterization and classification was not inherent in Western psychiatry. Psychopathy is a serious behavioral disorder, in which, against the background of underdevelopment of a number of personality traits, one clearly dominates. This includes a number of deviations.

Types of personality disorders:

Paranoid - the patient is dominated by overvalued ideas. He attaches special importance to his personality. But he treats others with hostility, suspecting them of malicious intent. A person with a pathology does not recognize its presence. When relatives or friends pay attention to a cognitive deviation and try to take him to a specialist, he will assure that everything is in order with him and deny the existence of a problem. Very sensitive to criticism.
Schizoid - this diagnosis is characterized by introversion, isolation, a decrease in interest in life's things. The patient does not perceive the accepted norms of social behavior, often behaves eccentrically. Schizoid personality disorders are associated with a great passion for some kind of activity in which the individual succeeds. For example, he may be pathologically addicted to various health systems, to the point of attracting other people to his interests. Experts believe that in this way a certain asociality is replaced. Also, such patients may have problems with alcohol, drugs or other types of addiction.
Dissocial - a characteristic feature of such a personality disorder is the defiant cognitive behavior of the patient in order to obtain the desired. With all this, such patients are able to win over people, including doctors. This type is especially pronounced in late adolescence.
Hysterical - the main goal of such patients is to draw attention to their person in any way, including defiant behavior. The diagnosis is more typical for women. Atypical capriciousness, inconstancy of desires, extravagance, deceit are observed. In order to attract attention, the patient invents non-existent diseases for himself, the symptoms of which can be given out by the autonomic system and which is difficult to remove.
Obsessive-compulsive - patients with this type of personality disorder pathologically strive for order and perfection. They have no sense of humor, they try to be perfect in everything. When the set ideal goals are not achieved, they can fall into depressive states.
Anxious - such a personality disorder is characterized by the cultivation of a personal inferiority complex. Patients are in a state of perpetual anxiety and uncertainty. From childhood, such patients are shy and timid. Often suspect others of hostility. They are prone to depression.
Narcissistic - a deviation in which a person manifests narcissism from childhood, a desire to be constantly admired. Such a patient does not accept criticism: he reacts to it either with resentment or with aggression. Indifferent to the feelings of other people, prone to exploiting them to achieve their own goals.

Different forms of psychopathy require an individual approach to treatment. Personality disorders should not be confused with character accentuation. In the latter case, a person also has behavioral features, but they lie within the upper limit of the norm. In addition, it is adapted to social conditions. The classification of classical psychopathy is inappropriate here. Diagnosis and types are different.

Causes that cause personality and behavioral disorders

All specific personality disorders are usually divided into three clusters. Their classification:

types of psychopathy cluster A: paranoid and schizoid;
Cluster B psychopathy: hysterical, asocial, narcissistic;
types of psychopathy cluster B: obsessive-compulsive, depressive.

The causes of cluster A psychopathy are considered to be genetic and hereditary. The fact is that among the relatives of patients who have a personality disorder, as a rule, there is at least one with schizophrenia.

A hereditary predisposition to pathologies can also be traced in cluster B and C psychopathy. The first option can also be aggravated by problems with alcohol: in families of people who drink, children often develop with disorders.

There is a version that cognitive specific personality disorders may be associated with hormonal disorders in the body. If a person has elevated levels of testosterone, estrone and estradiol, the consequences of this are manifested in the form of aggression. In addition, he does not produce enough endorphins, which, in turn, leads to depressive disorders.

The social factor also plays an important role in the formation of the psychotype. For active children, space is important. If they are forced to be brought up in a closed space, small areas, this leads to the appearance of hyperactivity. Anxious babies from birth can become balanced if they are raised by emotionally stable parents. A calm mother can help a child become confident, and an anxious one can not remove, but increase his personal anxiety state.

Character traits become noticeable already in early childhood. In adolescence, they can already develop as a personality disorder. Cognitive impairment is manifested in a decrease in memory, increased fatigue. Pathologies of the nervous system are observed more often in people with an asocial temperament.

Mixed personality disorder

This type of psychopathy has been studied less than others. The classification has no special criteria. The patient manifests forms of one or the other type of disorders that are not persistent. Therefore, this type of disorder is also called mosaic psychopathy. But it is also difficult for a person with a mixed type of disorder to get along in society because of the peculiarities of their behavior.

Instability of character is often the basis that contributes to the development of various types of addiction. Mixed personality disorder may be accompanied by alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction.

Mosaic psychopathy can combine symptoms of the schizoid and paranoid types. Such people do not know how to build social contacts in society, they are obsessed with overvalued ideas. With the predominance of paranoid symptoms, patients suffer from increased suspicion. They are prone to scandals, threats, like to write angry complaints about everyone and everything.

Specialists are alarmed if signs (classification) of several disorders coexist in one patient: schizoid, hysterical, asthenic, excitable. In this case, there is a high risk of developing schizophrenia.

Brain injuries or complications after a number of diseases can lead to mosaic types of pathology. This mixed personality disorder is considered acquired. If we consider the situation in detail, it will look like this: a person already has an innate tendency to mosaic psychopathy, which, due to certain circumstances, is superimposed by organic pathology.

Mosaic disorder requires specific treatment only when symptoms worsen, or if there is organic build-up. Then neuroleptics, tranquilizers, vitamins can be prescribed by a specialist.

Infantile personality disorder

With this type of psychopathy, signs of social immaturity are pronounced. A person is not able to withstand stressful situations and relieve tension. In difficult circumstances, he does not control his emotions in the same way as children do. Infantile personality disorders for the first time clearly declare themselves in adolescence. Hormonal storms that occur at this time with a person cause changes in the psycho-emotional sphere. As you get older, the diagnosis can only progress. It is possible to finally talk about the presence of the disease only after reaching 16-17 years. In stressful circumstances, the patient manifests himself immature, poorly controls aggression, anxiety, fear. Such a person is not hired for military service, they are denied employment in law enforcement agencies. Permits to carry weapons or obtain a driver's license are decided on a limited and strictly case-by-case basis, according to an assessment of signs and condition.

transient personality disorder

This diagnosis refers to borderline conditions, when the symptoms of deviation are difficult to attribute to any type of personality disorder. The main causes of psychopathy are long-term stressful situations.

In the modern world, a person is surrounded by many unfavorable factors: troubles at work, military operations, difficult family circumstances, financial failures, moving... All this disrupts the usual way of life and unbalances. If such circumstances last too long, the human psyche does not always have a reserve to survive and overcome them.

Transient personality disorder has its own characteristics:

disorientation;
hallucinations;
rave;
inhibition of verbal and motor functions.

Even one of the symptoms may already signal a disorder. This diagnosis is special in that the disease does not last too long: sometimes only a day, and sometimes a month. It suddenly arises and just as it passes. Sometimes a person can go to sleep with a disturbance, and get up in a normal emotional state with residual effects in the form of increased anxiety or sleep disturbances. With each new stress, a spontaneous return of pathology is possible.

Such a diagnosis does not pass without a trace. In the event that there are signs of delirium or hallucinations, such a person requires special treatment, because his condition can also threaten those around him. In the period between exacerbations, the patient experiences emotional burnout, in which nerve cells are also destroyed. Therefore, even for preventive purposes, it is recommended to take vitamins and herbal remedies.

As historical examples show, partial transient personality disorder is not a benign condition. Many of the famous serial killers and maniacs had this diagnosis. They led a normal life, had families, work, but during the period of exacerbations they committed crimes. When Western experts studied the brains of executed criminals, they did not find significant changes in it. All its parts corresponded to the norm of a healthy person. And only stressful conditions could lead to the appearance of signs of a personality disorder, which entailed antisocial acts. Perhaps, if during the period when the first signs of the disease appeared, there would have been a person nearby who noticed this and helped to contact a specialist, such consequences could have been avoided. Being face-to-face with continuous stressful situations, the psyche simply could not stand it. The mechanism of the development of the disease was launched.

Treatment for personality disorders

When a person is diagnosed with psychopathy, he rarely agrees with him. The peculiarity of this disease is that the patient does not see problems in himself, but looks for them in others. Treatment in this case is always difficult. According to statistics, only one in five of them agree to accept help.

Treatment of psychopathy is carried out individually. It includes sessions of psychotherapy and, if necessary, the use of drugs. In difficult cases, when the antisocial behavior of the patient poses a threat to others, treatment can be carried out in a hospital.

Disputes among specialists are caused by the treatment of borderline conditions. Some believe that the patient needs help only during exacerbations, while others insist on constant support. In any case, the treatment of psychopathy has been going on for many years. With the patient's tendency to impulsive acts that can threaten life and health, psychotropic drugs are connected.

Surely you are annoyed that someone is constantly late, always losing something, or complaining about their own supposedly terrible appearance. Treat them with understanding: maybe they just can't control it! Many of these signs are symptoms of mental disorders, which by no means mean that this person will one day tell you about his contact with a UFO and offer to save the Universe from the hands of the conspirators. We invite you to learn more about the world of personal madness. But do not get carried away: only a doctor can make diagnoses!

clinical depression

Just do not close the article! Yes, the word "depression" has become too fashionable, and it is often called a slight autumn blues, a gloomy mood or experiences caused by an unpleasant event in life. In fact, this is a serious mental disorder, and not a whim of infantile boys and girls. Depression affects office workers, students, housewives, politicians, successful businessmen. No one is immune from an attack of anhedonia, a symptom of depression, which the singer Yanka Diaghileva dubbed "the diagnosis of lack of joy." It is traditionally believed that depression is caused by a lack of serotonin, one of the substances that provide communication between neurons in the brain. Serotonin is often referred to as the "happiness hormone". Current theories suggest that the cause of depression is a violation of neuroplasticity - the ability of the human brain to change under the influence of experience and restore damaged connections. Stress disrupts the connection between nerve cells, so memory and mood deteriorate.

A depressed person may not look gloomy and depressed; he usually has no visible reasons for suffering either. “I’ll finish this damn project, get a good night’s sleep and sign up for dances, or even skydive - I have everything under control, I’m normal!” - people with a depressive disorder often convince themselves. However, pulling yourself out of bed is becoming more and more difficult every morning, the quarterly report makes you want to go out the window, and crawling to the shower is already a feat, what dancing here! Emptiness, lack of joy, indifference to life... A depressed state can drag on for a long time. If you add up all the man-hours that humanity lost due to the depression in 2012, you get 75.6 million years.

However, if you suddenly find yourself with the above symptoms, do not rush to diagnose yourself - only an experienced psychiatrist who will prescribe antidepressants is able to detect depression. They will restore serotonin levels, but the healing process may not be as fast as you expected.

Bipolar disorder

Today Vasya plows like a horse at work, has affairs with several girls at once, learns a fifth language, does not forget to pull the barbell, visits all the surrounding parties, defending his candidate at the same time and giving all the money to save the whales. A couple of months later, Vasya locks himself in the apartment, watches TV shows and cannot even bring himself to brew a bag of instant noodles - he is so exhausted. The energy seems to be given to him in uneven portions: sometimes thick, sometimes empty. It is very difficult to predict when Vasya will get a normal portion of joy: his “mood swings” are difficult to control, and any trifle, like lost house keys, can plunge him into depression.

Meet the typical "bipolar". This disorder was formerly called manic-depressive psychosis. Don't worry, Vasya is not a maniac - it's just an unfortunate term. It is believed that bipolar disorder is inherited, but scientists suggest that it is also our unsatisfied desires that break out and disrupt our Stakhanovite pace of life. Bipolar disorder is considered a disease of creative people. Vasya needs to regularly visit a psychotherapist, start getting enough sleep and stop drinking so much at parties - then it will be a little easier for him to live. Well, if nothing helps, then you will have to restore the balance with medicines - and Vasya will have to be taken out of both the stage of depression and the stage of mania. As they say, everything is good in moderation.

Anorexia/bulimia

This is Anya, and she has "ana". So lovingly dubbed anorexia. Anya weighs herself several times a day, looks contemptuously at a parsley leaf in her plate, mentally figuring out how many calories it contains. She doesn't seem to eat at all. And this is serious. In truth, she hates her body, it seems clumsy and cumbersome to her. She dreams of soaring in the air on thin legs, and, refusing lunch, thanks herself for the lightness in her body and despises those who at this time are wrapping up a second plate of borscht, eating white bread.

Ana's friend is Miya, that is, bulimia. After a few months of an ascetic life, thin Anya breaks the pattern, and she pounces on food, hating herself for every bite she eats. When Anya empties the entire contents of the refrigerator, it dawns on her that something irreparable has happened. Then she runs to the pharmacy for a laxative or puts two fingers in her mouth, as she was taught as a child. This relationship with food is like a dizzying love affair: it is impossible to refuse it, as life seems empty.

Scientists did not understand what happened to Anya. Some believe that Anya lacks serotonin. Others believe that Anya lacks satiation mechanisms. But the hypothesis of psychological causes looks more reliable. Most likely, Anya was influenced by stereotypes about beauty, and she feels inferior compared to slender, long-legged models from the covers of glossy magazines. It is also possible that she lacked parental care, or she was overprotected in childhood - in this way Anya compensates for her long-standing psychological trauma. Either way, eating disorders are serious. They require the intervention of a psychoanalyst and a dietitian. By the way, eating disorders are by no means a female disease. Young people also often fall into the trap.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Lena is late again. Somehow leaving her keys, phone and for some reason a Spanish notebook, which she abandoned to learn three years ago, Lena rushes to the subway. At the turnstile, she remembers that she forgot her pass. Have to return. At work, a disgruntled boss is waiting for her, who scolds her for yet another delay and for forgetting to call three important clients. Throwing out his anger, the boss describes the details of the new task to Lena. Lena nods her head, pretends to fix every word - in fact, her thoughts scatter like a fresh wind, no matter how the girl tries to rein them in. Despite Lenin's abilities, she will not be promoted: after all, she always forgets everything.

Lena has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Traditionally, ADHD has been considered a childhood illness. However, this disorder runs throughout a person's life. It does not turn him off from reality, but rather annoys him and those around him. This disorder is controversial: there are no clear criteria for defining ADHD, so many tend to think that hyperactivity is a fiction. However, it has been observed that people with ADHD have a thinner cortex in the areas of the brain that are responsible for attention and control. Regular physical activity, as well as caffeine and pills, can help "scattered from Basseynaya Street". In addition, all kinds of organizers and diaries make life easier for hyperactive people (the main thing is not to forget to write in them).

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

This is the same disorder that is often confused with schizophrenia. A person begins to realize that two personalities live in him. Gradually, a fictional person begins to capture the real one - and the boy begins to introduce himself as the name of a movie hero or a late grandfather. DID researchers believe it is driven by traumatic childhood experiences.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Such people do not understand halftones. At all. They are either black or white. Now a person believes that his loved ones are perfection itself and their relationship is the height of harmony, then he feels anger, annoyance and hostility towards these people. He is inclined to idealize his acquaintances and demand the impossible from them, and then bring down a tub of hatred on them. Borderline personality disorder is a condition where a person is unable to understand even himself. "Borderguards" are unable to manage their anger and are very impulsive. People with this disorder are suicidal.

Many studies show a close relationship between the risk of developing BPD and psychological upheavals in childhood, as well as a complex of disorders in the structure and biochemistry of the brain. But this disorder is not lifelong: patients achieved remission in a few years.

Anxiety disorders

We are all afraid of something. But Pasha's fears really interfere with his life. As usual, in the morning he is going to the institute, buttoning his shirt - and suddenly imagines that an accident may happen to him in the subway. Pasha freezes as if rooted to the spot, his palms are covered with cold sweat. The unfinished report makes him think about the upcoming expulsion. Frightening thoughts are swarming in his head, and Pasha understands that today it is better for him not to go out into the street. But fear does not let go of the guy in the walls of his room: an icy hand seems to grab him by the throat, forcing him to choke. He does not understand what is the cause of his fear, and therefore cannot comprehend it, and therefore, cope with it.

Unreasonable fears are one of the hallmarks of an anxiety disorder. All kinds of phobias, panic attacks, fear of who knows what - one field of berries. It is generally accepted that fear is an ancient mechanism that helped our ancestors avoid danger. Often this type of disorder is associated with dysfunction of the amygdala (amygdala), which is responsible for the processes caused by the fear response. In addition, it is believed that increased anxiety is associated with a lack of serotonin.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This is Vitya, and he always carries a napkin with him. That's right, in order to wipe the door handles before you take them. He washes his hands all the time. It seems to him that the ubiquitous microbes threaten his life. He checks the corner between his slippers and the couch, never forgets to make sure he has turned off the iron, and constantly checks his schedule to see what's going on! No, he is not neat - it is enough for an average clean person to wash his hands before eating, after using the toilet, and if they are dirty. Washing Viti's hands is an obsession that will suck the juice out of him all day if he doesn't. A kind of ritual, a conspiracy for a good day.

This is another anxiety disorder, only it is difficultly called: obsessive-compulsive disorder. Scientists suggest that it was formed from the inclination of our ancestors to all kinds of "magic" rituals, which were credited with the ability to change reality. Anxiety uncovers the mechanisms that have been suppressed for millennia, and they begin to work in a completely unpredictable way.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Another type of anxiety disorder is post-traumatic stress disorder. People who have experienced difficult events have intrusive memories that relentlessly follow them and poison their existence. Soldiers returning from war often complain that they continue to "fight". Such people often have a feeling of emptiness, they lose the ability to rejoice. They often avoid talking about what happened to them, preferring to isolate themselves from this situation. There is the concept of "partial amnesia", when a person does not remember the details of his fatal past.

In the formation of PTSD, genetic factors, the environment and the personality make-up play a role. In addition, there is a theory that this mental disorder occurs due to a malfunction in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory.

antisocial disorder

Igor despises social norms. He sincerely does not understand why people should follow the principles imposed on them, through which it is so easy and profitable to transgress. He pretends to be "normal", but he feels that he is not like everyone else. Igor has no guilt - and why should he feel guilty? Therefore, he is ready for anything for the sake of his goal - but so that others do not see through him, he has to put on the mask of an ordinary person.

This is not a movie villain. This is a sociopath. Such people are capable of experiencing only strong emotions. It is believed that both upbringing and genetics influence the development of the disorder. It is believed that antisocial disorder is incurable - therefore, they try to adapt such people to society.

Schizophrenia

A person suddenly abandons everyday affairs and begins to think more and more about the structure of the world. It seems to him that secret signs are hidden in the location of the paving slabs. He begins to look for and find patterns in the way people walk on the sidewalk. He feels that he has comprehended something important, but he cannot explain it to others - his explanations seem confused and wild to others. The person is increasingly moving away from others, and then begins to hear voices. When he is caught communicating with "invisible" friends and naturally turns to specialists, he sincerely does not understand what is going wrong.

Delusions, hallucinations, apathy are signs of schizophrenia. This is not a split personality, as we used to think - this is its disintegration. It is believed that a certain combination of genes contributes to the development of schizophrenia, as well as illness, stress, alcohol and drugs. All these factors accumulate and at some point demolish a person's brain. Also suspected of contributing to schizophrenia are certain substances in the brain (neurotransmitters), evolutionarily determined uneven load on the hemispheres of the brain (this was facilitated by the development of speech) and the ability of the brain to “pronounce” something that will never be said aloud (this is how auditory hallucinations occur). The most popular theory of schizophrenia is that the disorder is caused by malfunctions of dopamine receptors in different parts of the brain. Therefore, a person tends to concentrate on super-ideas, but loses self-control and a critical assessment of reality.

This disorder was brought to the fore a few years ago when bipolar disorder was diagnosed. Catherine Zeta Jones on living with bipolar disorder from Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Millions of people suffer from this, and I'm just one of them. I say this out loud so that people know that there is no shame in seeking professional help in such a situation.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress

Largely thanks to the courage of the black-haired Hollywood diva, other celebrities began to admit that they were experiencing this psychosis: Mariah Carey Mariah Carey: My Battle with Bipolar Disorder, Mel Gibson, Ted Turner ... Doctors suggest Celebrities With Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder and already deceased famous people: Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe ...

The enumeration of familiar names is only necessary to show that psychosis is very close to you. And maybe even you.

What is bipolar disorder

At first glance, it's okay. Just mood swings. For example, in the morning you want to sing and dance for the joy that you live. In the middle of the day, you suddenly snap at colleagues who distract you from something important. By evening, a severe depression rolls over you, when you can’t even raise your hand ... Familiar?

The line between mood swings and manic-depressive psychosis (this is the second name of this disease) is thin. But she is.

The attitude of those who suffer from bipolar disorder constantly jumps between the two poles. From an extreme maximum (“What a thrill it is to just live and do something!”) to an equally extreme minimum (“Everything is bad, we will all die. So, maybe there is nothing to wait, it's time to lay hands on yourself ?!”). The highs are called periods of mania. Minimums - periods.

A person realizes how stormy he is and how often these storms have no reason, but he cannot do anything with himself.

Manic-depressive psychosis is exhausting, worsens relationships with others, dramatically reduces the quality of life and, as a result, can lead to suicide.

Where Does Bipolar Disorder Come From?

Mood swings are familiar to many and are not considered something out of the ordinary. Therefore, bipolar disorder is quite difficult to diagnose. However, scientists are getting better at it. In 2005, for example, it was established Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of Twelve-month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) that about 5 million Americans suffer from manic-depressive psychosis in one form or another.

Bipolar disorder is more common in women than in men. Why is not known.

However, despite a large statistical sample, the exact causes of bipolar disorder have not yet been clarified. It is only known that:

Manic-depressive psychosis can occur at any age. Although it appears most often in late adolescence and early adulthood.
It may be caused by genetics. If one of your ancestors had this disease, there is a risk that it will knock on your door too.
The disorder is associated with an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Mainly - .
The trigger is sometimes severe stress or trauma.

How to Recognize the Early Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

To fix unhealthy mood swings, you first need to find out if you are experiencing emotional extremes - mania and depression.

7 key signs of mania

You experience high spirits and a feeling of happiness for long (several hours or more) periods.
You have a reduced need for sleep.
Your speech is fast. And so much so that those around you do not always understand, and you do not have time to formulate your thoughts. As a result, it is easier for you to communicate in instant messengers or through emails than to talk to people live.
You are an impulsive person: first you act, then you think.
You easily jump from one thing to another. As a result, productivity often suffers.
You are confident in your abilities. It seems to you that you are faster and smarter than most of those around you.
Often you exhibit risky behavior. For example, agreeing to have sex with a stranger, buying something that you can't afford, participating in spontaneous street races at traffic lights.

7 key signs of depression

You often experience prolonged (from several hours or more) periods of unmotivated sadness and hopelessness.
Lock yourself in. It's hard for you to come out of your own shell. Therefore, you limit contacts even with family and friends.
You have lost interest in those things that used to really cling to you, and have not gained anything new in return.
Your appetite has changed: it has dropped sharply or, on the contrary, you no longer control how much and what exactly you eat.
You regularly feel tired and lack energy. And such periods go on for quite a long time.
You have problems with memory, concentration and decision making.
Do you sometimes think about . Catch yourself thinking that life has lost its taste for you.

Manic-depressive psychosis is when you recognize yourself in almost all of the situations described above. At some point in your life, you clearly show signs of mania, and at other times, symptoms of depression.

However, sometimes it also happens that the symptoms of mania and depression manifest themselves at the same time and you cannot understand what phase you are in. This condition is called mixed mood and is also one of the signs of bipolar disorder.

What is bipolar disorder

Depending on which episodes occur more often (manic or depressive) and how pronounced they are, bipolar disorder is divided into several types. Types of Bipolar Disorder.

Disorder of the first type. It is heavy, alternating periods of mania and depression are strong and deep.
Disorder of the second type. Mania does not manifest itself too brightly, but it covers with depression just as globally as in the case of the first type. By the way, Catherine Zeta-Jones was diagnosed with it. In the case of the actress, the trigger for the development of the disease was throat cancer, which her husband, Michael Douglas, fought for a long time.

Regardless of what type of manic-depressive psychosis we are talking about, the disease in any case requires treatment. And preferably faster.

What to do if you suspect you have bipolar disorder

Don't ignore your feelings. If you are familiar with 10 or more of the above signs, this is already a reason to consult a doctor. Especially if from time to time you catch yourself in suicidal moods.

First, go to a therapist. Medic will offer Diagnosis Guide for Bipolar Disorder you do some research, including a urine test, as well as a blood test for thyroid hormone levels. Often, hormonal problems (in particular, developing, hypo- and hyperthyroidism) are similar to bipolar disorder. It is important to exclude them. Or treat if found.

The next step will be a visit to a psychologist or psychiatrist. You will have to answer questions about your lifestyle, mood swings, relationships with others, childhood memories, trauma, and family history of illness and drug incidents.

Based on the information received, the specialist will prescribe treatment. It can be both, and medication.

Let's finish with the phrase of the same Catherine Zeta-Jones: “There is no need to endure. Bipolar disorder can be controlled. And it's not as difficult as it seems."