subject: Psychologist In Brisbane - How To Define Personality Disorders? [print this page] Personality disorders are attitude and behavioral traits which tend to be distinctly different from those exhibited by other members of a society. They are a result of the nature of upbringing of an individual which in turn influences the behavioral development of the individual. These conditions are not usually evident in the early stages of growth but come to be fully ingrained in late adolescence and early adulthood. The usual age in which a condition might be diagnosed is in the ages of sixteen to eighteen years.
Personality disorders are one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose and treat. There are three factors that make this to be true as given by the psychologist in Brisbane. These are listed below:-
i. The actual diagnosis: Diagnosis of the condition is condition is quite a complicated affair. In the first place the psychiatrist focuses on making observations of behavioral indicators to determine whether an individual has a personality problem or actually has a mental illness. This is quite difficult when compared to the analysis of physical symptoms. The difficulty in diagnosis is further compounded by the fact that once a personality disorder is evident, the psychiatrist has to narrow down the various possibilities to a single disorder. This can prove daunting in the sense that the personality disorders share a large number of symptoms.
ii. Treatment: Once the correct diagnosis has been made, the psychiatrist has the duty of determining the correct course of treatment. Treatment will encompass both behavioral counseling and pharmacological therapy. The fact that many mental disorders share the same symptoms means that they will be a overlap of certain treatments. For instance anxiety is common in most disorders and thus the same medication will be used. However dosage has to be prescribed in accordance with the extent of severity of the symptom. Determining just how much to give is rather tricky. Furthermore treatment of symptoms without the use of medication as is the case with behavioral counseling will have to be set in a way that will allow for the desired change to tackle place.
iii. Evaluation: The success of a treatment has to be evaluated at intervals. This is important in the sense that treatment has to be altered in relation to how symptoms subside or persist. Unlike the treatment of physical symptoms where the symptoms usually subside with the progression of treatment, behavior symptoms can either subside, morph into more complex behavior or persist. Depending on what is observed, the psychiatrist has to make the necessary changes in the attempt to alter the progression of the treatment.
It is worth noting that personality disorders are not mental illnesses. The symptoms for personality disorders are an actual part of individuals personality traits. For a better explanation of the condition it is advisable to visit a psychologist in Brisbane if you live in Kingston, Marsden or Logan Village.
