Trauma – PTSD

Question:

Five years ago I conducted my Master’s thesis on the dx of personality disorders (esp. histrionic, antisocial, & borderline) vs. PTSD.  Indeed, there is little info (or at least 5 years ago) on PD’s other than borderline, perhaps because BPD is so common, so devastating, and so controversial.  Most of what is written about PD’s in general is, IMHO, written in a very disrespecful, pigeon-holing manner; de-emphasizing the suffering that people with PD go through, and emphasizing what unlikeable pains-in-the-a** they are to everyone else. Also emphasized are how impervious to treatment PD’s are, and how the clients WANT to stay the way they are.  Perhaps because that’s what the whole concept of PD’s are. In fact, one of my professors taught us that "[People with] Axis I’s (clinical psych disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety, TS, OCD, ADHD etc) make themselves miserable, and Axis II’s (personality disorders) make everyone else miserable." Histrionic PD is essentially the clinical way to call a woman a "dumb blonde" regardless of her hair color: vain, shallow, self-centered, simple-minded.  IMHO, ADHD can be mis-dx’ed as HPD in women (both involve impulsivity, distractibility, exaggerated-looking emotional reactions which can shift abruptly, and a dislike of complex mental tasks).  Histrionic PD can also be a woman’s attempt to hyper-conform to female expectations of looking good and people-pleasing, esp if she feels inadequate in other areas of her life. Numerous PD’s are often best reconceptualized and treated as Axis-I clinical conditions rather than Axis II PD’s. For example, Avoidant PD may be best dx’ed and treated as Social Phobia.  I suspect that Asperger’s Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as Schizoid PD, since both have detatchment from social relations as a major symptom.  Judith Lewis Herman’s "Trauma and Recovery" describes how PTSD can appear to be various personality disorders, esp BPD. Other books on sexual abuse describe how abuse can lead to various PD’s (or what look like PD’s).  Too bad traumas other than sexual abuse, including biological factors, are neglected as factors which can lead to symptoms resembling PD’s. If I find good, repectful books of PD’s other than BPD, I’ll let you know! Are there any PD’s in particular you’re interested in learning more about? Alex Would this book about borderline personality help in understanding the many, other types of personality disorders?   Are the strategies discussed in this book universal to all or many other personality disorders?   Is "detachment" the basic strategy involved? Why does Amazon.com have a zillion books about borderline personality disorders, and only one or two in the area of some other personality disorders?  Is there a good, general book about all personality disorders, not just borderline? — For info about this service, see http://www.twwells.com/anon/ or e-mail: h…@anon.twwells.com   — for an automatically returned help message ad…@anon.twwells.com  – for the service’s administrator ano…@anon.twwells.com — anonymous mail to the administrator

Response:

Alex Neilsen wrote: > If I find good, repectful books of PD’s other than BPD, I’ll let you know! > Are there any PD’s in particular you’re interested in learning more about? > Alex

Thanks Alex.  I e-mailed you to the months-old address I have … hope it is still correct?  If not, please e-mail me. — BB2 Tourette Syndrome – Now What? http://members.home.net/blessedby2

Response:

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