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My opinion is that personality disorders can be reversible or managed through cognitive therapy and awareness. Some people with personality disorders even return to functional states where their disorders no-longer affect their behaviour.
Disabilities are terminal and lifelong. They cannot be "reversed" and they are not psychological. They are overwhelmingly physical.
Incorrect. Many mental illnesses cause severe disability: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, panic disorder, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. . . They can cause the person to commit suicide. However, personality disorders are normally not considered disabilities because the person with the disease doesn't think there is anything wrong with them. Until they admit they have a problem, they won't seek treatment, much less discover a disability is present.
The reason that personality disorders are not considered "disabilities," is as the poster up thread said: 80% of the population would be considered disabled. Think about it: Psychiatrists have "created" (i.e., made up) everything in the DSM: ADD, ADHD, Bi-Polar (used to be manic-depressive - now everyone and their brother has a Bi-Polar diagnosis - not even an exaggeration), Narcissist (same new rate of labeling - everyone's ex and mother is a narcissist), Borderline PD, etc., etc.
No such thing these days as people just being a plain alcoholic (now it's alcohol abuse disorder with all kinds of variables) - no such thing as being mean, or an *******, or having character flaws.
Incorrect. Many mental illnesses cause severe disability: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, panic disorder, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. . . They can cause the person to commit suicide. However, personality disorders are normally not considered disabilities because the person with the disease doesn't think there is anything wrong with them. Until they admit they have a problem, they won't seek treatment, much less discover a disability is present.
The definition of a disability is not whether someone recognizes they are disabled and convinces someone else that they are. Though someone with a personality disorder is unlikely to have much self-awareness they may find themselves unable to work - they might not say I can't work because I have borderline personality disorder but they might say I'm crying and going into rages all the time and am afraid I'll kill myself so I can't get my ish together enough to work a regular job.
Regardless of whether they understand or admit to a problem, they might still try to apply for disability. And if they are in dire enough financial straits they'll take whatever the qualifying diagnosis is and get some money to live on, whether they inwardly accept it or not.
What is the real question here? The likelihood of someone with a PD seeking and getting on disability or whether you can technically qualify for disability by having a PD?
Incorrect. Many mental illnesses cause severe disability: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, panic disorder, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. . . They can cause the person to commit suicide. However, personality disorders are normally not considered disabilities because the person with the disease doesn't think there is anything wrong with them. Until they admit they have a problem, they won't seek treatment, much less discover a disability is present.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reneeh63
The definition of a disability is not whether someone recognizes they are disabled and convinces someone else that they are. Though someone with a personality disorder is unlikely to have much self-awareness they may find themselves unable to work - they might not say I can't work because I have borderline personality disorder but they might say I'm crying and going into rages all the time and am afraid I'll kill myself so I can't get my ish together enough to work a regular job.
Regardless of whether they understand or admit to a problem, they might still try to apply for disability. And if they are in dire enough financial straits they'll take whatever the qualifying diagnosis is and get some money to live on, whether they inwardly accept it or not.
What is the real question here? The likelihood of someone with a PD seeking and getting on disability or whether you can technically qualify for disability by having a PD?
Unlikely. Assuming the individual with the personality disorder has only the personality disorder and nothing else, they rarely admit they have any problems at all. Personality disorders are notoriously difficult to treat. The problem is never with them; it's the rest of the world. My mom was diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder and she was absolutely CONVINCED everyone else was the cause of all her difficulties in likfe. If only me/my sister/her boss/ex-husband, etc. . . would change their evil ways, everything would be perfect. And other personality disorders are the same way.
Unlikely. Assuming the individual with the personality disorder has only the personality disorder and nothing else, they rarely admit they have any problems at all. Personality disorders are notoriously difficult to treat. The problem is never with them; it's the rest of the world. My mom was diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder and she was absolutely CONVINCED everyone else was the cause of all her difficulties in likfe. If only me/my sister/her boss/ex-husband, etc. . . would change their evil ways, everything would be perfect. And other personality disorders are the same way.
Those with Borderline Personality Disorder CAN AND DO become self aware and acknowledge the illness and how it impacts their relationships. Speaking from experience...my psychiatrist said I had very good
insight into myself as far as BPD and Depression go...the past makes more sense now and I'm better able to be more positive and flexible with the future. Still have difficulties on occasion but at least not consistently.
Those with Borderline Personality Disorder CAN AND DO become self aware and acknowledge the illness and how it impacts their relationships. Speaking from experience...my psychiatrist said I had very good
insight into myself as far as BPD and Depression go...the past makes more sense now and I'm better able to be more positive and flexible with the future. Still have difficulties on occasion but at least not consistently.
I think between BPD and NPD, people with BPD are much more likely to seek treatment once they actually know they have a problem. They are aware their behavior hurts people and they don't like hurting people. I think true narcissists are fundamentally unable to accept they have a problem at all, which is why they are so difficult to treat. Acknowledging they have a problem would cause too great a psychological injury. People with BPD don't seem to have that aversion. Many of them know they are "broken" on some level, and they can accept that. Narcissists? Not so much.
My opinion is that personality disorders can be reversible or managed through cognitive therapy and awareness. Some people with personality disorders even return to functional states where their disorders no-longer affect their behaviour.
Disabilities are terminal and lifelong. They cannot be "reversed" and they are not psychological. They are overwhelmingly physical.
Personality disorders are character disorders, long term behavior traits that are ingrained in a person. That is why they are called "personality disorders." They are the result of coping methods learned in early childhood that have allowed the person to adapt to a traumatic environment. Since they have enabled the person to survive, the behaviors are ingrained and resistant to change.
The only PD that has had success with change is Borderline PD, through DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), an intensive cognitive approach that requires a very strong therapist. And even with this therapy, the personality does not change as much as the person's ability to live with it is altered. In addition, the person has to want some kind of change........VERY rare with any personality disordered individual. Most do not see anything wrong with the way they have coped with their life.
Assuming the individual with the personality disorder has only the personality disorder and nothing else, they rarely admit they have any problems at all. Personality disorders are notoriously difficult to treat. The problem is never with them; it's the rest of the world.
True. In the DSM-IV, personality disorders were classified as Axis II disorders. When and if an insurance claim for therapy went through, it was usually not reimbursed because personality disorders were, on the whole, considered resistant to change. However, there has been more research about this in the past decade.
Unlikely. Assuming the individual with the personality disorder has only the personality disorder and nothing else, they rarely admit they have any problems at all. Personality disorders are notoriously difficult to treat. The problem is never with them; it's the rest of the world. My mom was diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder and she was absolutely CONVINCED everyone else was the cause of all her difficulties in likfe. If only me/my sister/her boss/ex-husband, etc. . . would change their evil ways, everything would be perfect. And other personality disorders are the same way.
moot point...the question is not WHETHER they do apply, it is whether they CAN be classified as disabled.
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