I don't think personality disorders are any more pronounced than 20 years ago. In my opinion, there has been a change in our culture in that time. 20-30 years ago, every family had a "black sheep" with mental issues who was discussed in hushed circles at family events. I know because my family had a few. Now, it's no longer an embarassment to admit that you have issues and get help.

My story kind of follows this theory. I'm currently 32. When I was around 25, I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and depression. I had both all of my life but, I think partially due to lack of readily available information (the internet), I had no idea I had any kind of disorder. I was prescribed an anti-depressant to "fix" me, which I've been off for several years now, but that's another story. More recently, I came across a site describing adult ADD symptoms and, surprisingly to me, I had almost every syptom of the attentive portion of the disease. When I think back to how dramatically it has affected my life, it astounds me.

To summarize, there's likely no increase in incidence of these diseases, in my opinion. There's just more of a willingness for those affected to step forward, admit they have a problem, and get help since the societal stigma has decreased. This combined with readily available symptom knowledge, courtesy of the interent, easily explains the increased numbers.

I actually think disorders are underdiagnosed.

A lot of disorders are caused by bad parenting. Trauma caused by a parent, intentionally or no, under the age of five can lead to disorders.

That and genetics compounds it. One bad parent passes it to their children and so on.

Many serious illnesses can be the result of absent parenting. Militant or sick parents. The child does not receive emotional validation leading to disorders later on.

With both parents working and dumping children into a institutional setting is it any wonder problems are cropping up?

I have parents tell me they can't afford to stay home but they have a mercedes in the driveway and a 2k tv.
Children see what their priorities are and it isn't them.

I go into many rich homes where the parents stay home to work but they dump their kids in front of a tv all day. YOu can't even tell that a neighborhood is populated by children, because they are all inside being watched by Elmo and Barney.

I find that there is generally two types of parenting. Those who ignore, and those who control.And neither kind works very well, and you endup with defunct children.

Most people with mental disorders have addictions because they are trying to self medicate. I know people with MD who self medicate, not to get high, but to feel normal. To stop being depressed and angry.To not fight with their loved ones because they never had a solid example set for them.

Having dealt with it, I can recongize the signs of a MD pretty quickly and I can assure you, far more people are going undiagnosed then diagnosed.

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
Perhaps a "sales pitch" for the pharma industry, to increase more psyche-meds?

Except for extreme cases, personality disorders aren't treated with meds. They may be managed or the symptoms masked by psychotropics, but actual treatment/recovery where recovery is possible is only achieved via psychotherapy.

Just to clarify - ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other Axis I illnesses aren't personality disorders. Personality disorders have the term "personality disorder" in their name and are diagnosed under Axis II.

Hmmm...makes you wonder which personality was writing the article or which personality did the tests to determine that ratio. Very skeptical of that number...seems more like a study funded by pharmaceutical companies to introduce anti personality disorder drugs in the future.

i liked the part when the talking head asked if this study was accurate and the dude said " it was the same type and scale that a political poll is based on"

hmmm......ok, as long as this guy says its legit....

This makes me wonder if people running for President are given Psychological examinations before they can take office. Ooops....I guess not.....based on the last 8 years.

Originally posted by anachryon

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
Perhaps a "sales pitch" for the pharma industry, to increase more psyche-meds?

Except for extreme cases, personality disorders aren't treated with meds. They may be managed or the symptoms masked by psychotropics, but actual treatment/recovery where recovery is possible is only achieved via psychotherapy.

Just to clarify - ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other Axis I illnesses aren't personality disorders. Personality disorders have the term "personality disorder" in their name and are diagnosed under Axis II.

They can be secondary to personality disorders though. My social anxiety disorder is as a component of avoidant personality disorder.

Glad most of us see through that psych crap.

Keep your kids AWAY from these insane doctors, take them instead to the hockey rink, or martial arts studio, or Scout pack, or craft fair, etc... etc...

Activity is the best "treatment" in my op.

'Treatment' by the au6th6or6ities is sad & pathetic; locked in a dark hallway, forcibly medicated, surrounded by bad examples of "caretakers".

The only ones who benefit, are pharma and thier shareholders, and our gov leaders & usurpers who invent metaphors and terms like "disorders", then pass laws to record all diagnosis, and enFORCE them.

Nothing more traumatic for a young person than being taken away to a psych ward.

I say here what I'll always say: FLUSH your meds; or slip them back into your doctor's coffee, see how THEY like them!

My psych instructor in collage told me i had a aggressive Personality Disorder after he read in the news paper that i had beaten up a thief that i caught stealing from my property.

I told him he had one too.
his Personality Disorder was being a liberal wimp.
I got more then a few laughs at that.

The real funny part was that he claimed all cops had the same aggressive Personality Disorder

THIEVES watch out i have a dangerous Personality Disorder and may BEAT the C**p out of you if i catch you.




[edit on 3-12-2008 by ANNED]

If the drug companies and doctors could get away with it, they would tell us all that we are all crazy and need a pill to solve our problems.

Question then is...how many would believe it.

Now who doctor's the doctor? Who analyzes the analyzer?

If were all crazy, they need a pill too.



Cheers!!!!

like the way they throw in "drug use"- perhaps abuse of drugs can also encourage "personality disorders"........

Originally posted by RFBurns
If the drug companies and doctors could get away with it, they would tell us all that we are all crazy and need a pill to solve our problems.

Well I think it is also just a symptom of having lots of new drugs that can do all sorts of things. They are out there, people will use them. You can be sure in the "old days" some cultures used alcohol to quiet down "rambunctious children" at night. I recall another poster saying in the old country they would calm teething, fussy babies by making a tea out of opium buds.

If it is available people will use it, marekting by big pharma just makes it more accessible and widely known.


[edit on 3-12-2008 by Sonya610]