Why aren’t people screened for personality disorders?

[Anonymous]

Personality disorders is not mental illness. Mental illness can be treated. Personality disorders cannot. I see where the OP is coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Screening isn't the way, but more education is. Imagine if Trump were behaving obviously like a schizophrenic, we would totally spot that and get him some treatment and off social media. But people like him (and other dictators throughout time) have hidden mental disorders that we haven't been trained to spot yet.

These disorders are hard to spot because baked into them are skill sets for manipulation, charm, victim selection, etc. Personality disorders are VERY different than other mental illness.

Like most people, I've had friends and family members with mental illness. Stuff like depression, anxiety. I even have a family member with schizophrenia. These issues can be really challenging, both for the person who is diagnosed but also for those close to them. But the signs of these problems can also be pretty transparent, once you know how to spot them. Education can go a long way to help make sure people in this category get treatment. Also at least for depression and anxiety, people who suffer from these often want help, want desperately to feel better. It's a win-win.

Personality disorders are different. Many people with personality disorders believe (sometimes correctly) that their disorder benefits them and helps them get what they want. Many PDs involve a layer of manipulation and charm that can be used to trap people into dysfunctional relationships that feed the person with the PD and harm the victim. That's the whole problem. Also people with PDs will often go out of their way to select victims who are easy to isolate and control, who don't have much social leverage or support. They'll also carefully cultivate people who have power and influence as friends and supporters, to support their position.

It's really not so easy as just "let's educate people." With something like depression, yes, that's a good solution. With something like NPD or bipolar, it might not help because these disorders by nature evade detection even when you are looking. I mean, maybe we all need to be more suspicious of very charming people? It won't happen. It's too effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personality disorders is not mental illness. Mental illness can be treated. Personality disorders cannot. I see where the OP is coming from.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Screening isn't the way, but more education is. Imagine if Trump were behaving obviously like a schizophrenic, we would totally spot that and get him some treatment and off social media. But people like him (and other dictators throughout time) have hidden mental disorders that we haven't been trained to spot yet.

It is pretty obvious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personality disorders is not mental illness. Mental illness can be treated. Personality disorders cannot. I see where the OP is coming from.

This, though I do think personality disorders could be classified as mental illness. But it's a special category of mental illness that often benefits the "sufferer" and harms other people. And yes, very few experts believe that true personality disorders can be cured. There is a spectrum and it may be possible to address narcissistic tendencies, for instance. But someone who is diagnosable with NPD? How would you treat them? They don't care about others and have a bottomless need for attention. They'll go to therapy because they like the attention, but they'll never change because they fundamentally do not think they need to. They likely view their NPD symptoms as beneficial and evidence of their superiority over others. Untreatable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

+1

Instead OP wants to single them out for isolation. Maybe we can get them all to wear armbands or a badge with a picture of a narcissus flower, just so everyone knows to stay away. Terrible idea, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The narcissist in your life may be a horrible abuser to you but they may be that charming hospital executive that “everyone” admires. They’re chameleons, shapeshift with their environment. Someone who’s a tyrant in the office may be a saint at home. Best people inform themselves of signs to watch for and proceed from There, don’t need handmade signs.

This is true of someone I knew who was a complete AH in work situations and with people he didn't know well. As years have passed he is still a scary AH but to me he's a total warm and compassionate person. I don't understand how he can be such a dichotomy versus a spectrum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

+1

Instead OP wants to single them out for isolation. Maybe we can get them all to wear armbands or a badge with a picture of a narcissus flower, just so everyone knows to stay away. Terrible idea, OP.

You understand we are talking about people with narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder? Not people who have been Tik Tok diagnosed with an online quiz but people with serious disorders that actually do make them a danger to other people, right? This is not some unfounded prejudice -- it's a reasonable concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

+1

Instead OP wants to single them out for isolation. Maybe we can get them all to wear armbands or a badge with a picture of a narcissus flower, just so everyone knows to stay away. Terrible idea, OP.

I like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The narcissist in your life may be a horrible abuser to you but they may be that charming hospital executive that “everyone” admires. They’re chameleons, shapeshift with their environment. Someone who’s a tyrant in the office may be a saint at home. Best people inform themselves of signs to watch for and proceed from There, don’t need handmade signs.

This is true of someone I knew who was a complete AH in work situations and with people he didn't know well. As years have passed he is still a scary AH but to me he's a total warm and compassionate person. I don't understand how he can be such a dichotomy versus a spectrum.

I've been on the opposite side of this, where someone I knew for many years as a kind, loving, supportive person was accused of doing terrible things, and I didn't believe it. And then this persons showed me this side of themselves and I understood. It's not a dichotomy. One side serves the other. The kind, charming person works in service to the horrible things they want to do. They aren't divided, they are using two skill sets to accomplish the same goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

+1

Instead OP wants to single them out for isolation. Maybe we can get them all to wear armbands or a badge with a picture of a narcissus flower, just so everyone knows to stay away. Terrible idea, OP.

Large forehead tattoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

+1

Instead OP wants to single them out for isolation. Maybe we can get them all to wear armbands or a badge with a picture of a narcissus flower, just so everyone knows to stay away. Terrible idea, OP.

You understand we are talking about people with narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder? Not people who have been Tik Tok diagnosed with an online quiz but people with serious disorders that actually do make them a danger to other people, right? This is not some unfounded prejudice -- it's a reasonable concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow when I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of screening for early detection and treatment so that their lives and the lives of those around them could be better. Silly me.

Is there any evidence that "early detection and treatment" of these kind of personality disorders improve outcomes? I was under the impression that stuff like NPD was pretty much untreatable. And I don't know how you "early detect" it either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personality disorders is not mental illness. Mental illness can be treated. Personality disorders cannot. I see where the OP is coming from.

THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personality disorders is not mental illness. Mental illness can be treated. Personality disorders cannot. I see where the OP is coming from.

THIS.

The blind are attempting to lead the blind in this thread and frankly actually blind people are a lot better at it.