Posted by gardenergirl on October 15, 2005, at 20:36:59
In reply to Am I a bad person....., posted by sleepygirl on October 15, 2005, at 19:40:01
You are not at all a bad person. I know diagnostic labels can be hurtful. It's a darned shame. And I also think that the diagnosis of a personality disorder is a very tricky one to make. I think it's given out a bit too frequently.
The general criteria for a personality disorder states that the symptoms or characteristics need to be pervasive in a person's life (occuring in several roles) and need to be long-standing (since early adult-hood). In addition, the pattern of behavior needs to be relatively inflexible.
Certainly many people, myself included, can be viewed as having personality traits which are not all that good for us. But that doesn't mean we all have personality disorders. And diagnosing one is something that for me, at least, takes really getting to know the person, observing their functioning over time, or getting a very thorough history. The way I work with patients, I can't do that quickly, and I rarely give the diagnosis of a PD.
Also, PD's are not incurable. People with PD's can learn adaptive coping skills and apply them to stressors and tough situations. To that extent, they are then showing that the pattern of behavior is NOT inflexible, and as such, they are getting "better".
Sorry to ramble so much, and I hope this helped a little.
Short answer for me is that I think folks with PD diagnoses get a bad rap. We all come by our various issues honestly. Nobody asks for psychological problems.
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:567324
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20051008/msgs/567361.html