Cluster B personality disorders - Are They Actually Mental Illness?

Are personality disorders mental illness? A Personality disorder is a pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates from the expectations of a person's culture.

Although these patterns of behavior are considered disorders in the diagnostic and statistical manual, we don't think of them as illnesses in the same way we think of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or even ADHD. With these illnesses we see disruptions in brain chemistry that are responsible for these illnesses. But the personality disorders are patterns of thinking and behavior that just develop with you. We all have characteristics of some of these personality disorders. We call it having certain personality features or traits. But if you have several of the traits of a particular disorder such that it causes dysfunction in all of these areas of your life, then it would be considered the disorder. So a person can have features of narcissism without having the full-blown narcissistic personality disorder.

In this video I discuss the 10 personality types and how they are clustered into groups based on characteristics they share. The 10 personality types are:
Cluster A (odd or eccentric):
Paranoid personality disorder, Schizoid personality disorder, Schizotypal personality disorder

Cluster B (dramatic or erratic):
Antisocial personality disorder, Borderline personality disorder, Histrionic personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder

Cluster C (anxious):
Avoidant personality disorder, Dependent personality disorder, Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[BeccaJay]

“Your personality is what makes people dislike you”…I felt this so hard I fell off the couch.

[echase]

My husband is a psychiatrist here in Canada. If he’s doing disability forms for patients, he never puts ‘personality disorder’ (or ‘addictions’) on the form. He will put every other diagnosis such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, developmental issues etc. etc. Putting personality disorder or addiction on a disability application —> ‘Denied’. There’s a lot of stigma and prejudice out there.

[spiritedrenee]

Having BPD feels more like I lack any set personality. I have no clue who I really am, if I'm being honest.

[ynntari]

It's very important to make it clear that "runs in family" does not mean it's genetic. Culture, behaviours and beliefs are very easily passed down from parents to children. That's *memes* (in the original meaning of the word), not *genes.* These things are memetically transmitted.

[lukaj]

All my friends that have personality disorders had unstable and neglectful childhoods, me included. I'm not a professional, but I've seen the most healing come from being in a stable enough place emotionally and physically to work on that childhood trauma and how it affects the way you treat yourself and those around you now. It feels like it takes a whole reality shift, which I think happens through age as well and might be a factor in how personality disorders manifest differently over time.

[qualitydag]

My father suffered from Narcissism and like you said, he never got over it, but it somehow was a bit better in his 70s and 80s. He would rage if I ever disagreed with him, but would apologize afterwards. I suspect it's because he didn't want to scare me away in his later years. Once, to my awe, when he was so drunk that he could barely slur his words, he cried and begged for forgiveness for the way he treated me. I was amazed! I didn't think he could ever access his deeper emotions. Perhaps 15 minutes later he returned to his defensive self. The difference was quite amazing..

[WinstonBoogie]

I'm a psych nurse. I love watching your videos since they help me learn about the patients I deal with better.

[canwegonowhereanyfaster]

It’s been shown that people with borderline personality disorder have differences in their brains from people who do not. They have over firing of an underdeveloped amygdala, and under firing of the pre-frontal cortex. This has been shown consistently with brain scans. These seem to be associated with the risk factor of developmental disorders that can be traced back to some sort of abandonment trauma or attachment disorder in childhood during key brain development stages. There is an excellent book that just came out by a brilliant woman who recovered from BPD and has the YouTube channel “Recovery Mum”. Her book is called “The Big Book on Borderline Personality Disorder”. I believe it would be helpful to anyone who suffers from any personality disorder or who loves someone with a personality disorder.

[NoCashNavi]

I was diagnosed with bipolar and borderline personality disorder. I wasn't on insurance for a long time and was hospitalized for my illnesses for a week and it only got worse when I left and wasn't able to keep up with my medication. But with practicing mindfulness and CBT, I was able to significantly improve my mindset and be better to the people around me. It's been 2 years since I was hospitalized, I got insurance and used abilify for about 9 months, and then slowly tapered off of it. I'm doing so much better now and my illness rarely interferes with my life aside from anxiety, which I work through. I still occasionally deal with depersonalization, and that is still the one thing I struggle with most. I am planning to go back to a psychiatrist/therapist to help me figure it out though.

[mariamatmos]

I have a bipolar disorder, diagnosed for the first time 14 years ago. I honestly don't think anyone hates me, I feel loved and valued most of the time.

[milkyshakes]

lol I love that she actually responds to the hostility of that message 🤣

[ireserena]

I have a therapist and psychiatrist but I like the way u explain things. Thanks

[DanielSRosehill]

I've never seen somebody dissect a "crazy" comment, or wall of text, so calmy and empathetically. Respect.

[MP-cmnt]

I so admire you and your direct approach. No nonsense, yet classy and empathic. Thank you for being you.

[littlebee]

LOVE THIS!!! I have borderline personality disorder - diagnosed in the fall of 2019. My diagnosis was such a relief because I finally understood why my world would feel like it was literally ending by small triggers and why I could go from zero to a thousand in a second! I’m continually working on improving my life, my reactions to things, and how I move through this world despite my personality disorder and my mood disorders!
Edit*** I’ve never had access to DBT but I have been through about five years of CBT and am in a point where I have developed enough strategies and life stability to take a break from therapy. I’m sure I’ll return at some point to work through other traumas but I am beyond grateful for all of the help and treatment I have gotten. It has genuinely changed my life where I feel like this life IS worth living.

[dougmullen]

You are a phenomenal educator. You make these concepts so understandable

[alaynarenwick]

As a therapist in training, I really appreciate your videos as they are great ways for me to refresh on concepts or see a different perspective!

[jasmineelise]

i know that this is off subject, BUT your haaaair Dr. Marks!!! video on point as

[liambraithewaite]

I feel age can go either way. You either burnout or your personality traits intensify even more. With narcissistic types it unfortunately seems that the latter is true as the impact of ageing and life only getting more difficult and restrictive brings out the rage and frustration even more.

[chiedzacaroline]

02:47 Bipolar disorder doesn't make people hate you. Your underlying personality that comes out full force when you're ill is what makes people dislike you. Your personality is your hardwiring and how you react to the environment. But if you have an illness like bipolar disorder or anxiety, those disorders disrupt your equilibrium and can bring out the negative aspects of your personality even more. But those illnesses themselves don't make people do things to hurt other people.