 |
|
Personality disorders cause emotional reactions in staff
April 10, 2008A study published today in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry suggests that the way in which professional care workers respond emotionally to substance abuse patients with personality disorders depends on the type of disorder.
Birgitte Thylstrup and Morten Hesse of Aarhus University, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, in Copenhagen, Denmark, explain that while previous research has shown that antisocial and aggressive behavior in patients can affect how professionals manage them, no previous studies have investigated the distinction between the full range of different personality disorders and their effects on professional health care workers.
The idea that the emotional reactions of a professional to his or her patient may play an important part in psychotherapeutic treatment dates back to the work of Sigmund Freud. He coined the term 'countertransferance' to describe the observation that a patient's influence on the analyst's unconscious feelings may interfere with the patient's treatment.
In order to test whether this hypothesis holds for the interaction between health professionals and substance abuse patients, the researchers asked staff members to complete an inventory of emotional reactions to their patients. Concomitantly, the patients, most commonly men in their thirties, were asked to complete a personality disorder questionnaire.
The researchers then sought to determine if there were any correlations between the emotional reactions reported by staff and the type of personality disorder in the patient.
Not unexpectedly, they found that patients with features of antisocial personality disorder induced feelings of distance in their carers. Interestingly, feelings of helpfulness were induced by those with features of avoidant personality disorder.
"The patient with antisocial personality disorder tends to be manipulative and aggressive. It is natural for staff members to react to such behavior with some negative reactions, and this is not a sign of unprofessional conduct", says Morten Hesse. "On the other hand, the patient with avoidant personality disorder is often cautious and appears vulnerable and needy. In that context, many clinicians feel that they can be useful to the patient, and feel secure in their role as treatment providers."
The researchers point out that by using self-reporting, rather than disorders assessed by the staff, they have, for the first time, avoided the problem of a confounding diagnosis. "Staff reactions should be considered in supervision of staff, and in treatment models for substance abuse patients with personality disorders," the researchers conclude.
BioMed Central
In order to test whether this hypothesis holds for the interaction between health professionals and substance abuse patients, the researchers asked staff members to complete an inventory of emotional reactions to their patients. Concomitantly, the patients, most commonly men in their thirties, were asked to complete a personality disorder questionnaire.
The researchers then sought to determine if there were any correlations between the emotional reactions reported by staff and the type of personality disorder in the patient.
Not unexpectedly, they found that patients with features of antisocial personality disorder induced feelings of distance in their carers. Interestingly, feelings of helpfulness were induced by those with features of avoidant personality disorder.
"The patient with antisocial personality disorder tends to be manipulative and aggressive. It is natural for staff members to react to such behavior with some negative reactions, and this is not a sign of unprofessional conduct", says Morten Hesse. "On the other hand, the patient with avoidant personality disorder is often cautious and appears vulnerable and needy. In that context, many clinicians feel that they can be useful to the patient, and feel secure in their role as treatment providers."
The researchers point out that by using self-reporting, rather than disorders assessed by the staff, they have, for the first time, avoided the problem of a confounding diagnosis. "Staff reactions should be considered in supervision of staff, and in treatment models for substance abuse patients with personality disorders," the researchers conclude.
BioMed Central
Personality Disorder Current Events and Personality Disorder News RSSFull recovery now possible for an 'untreatable' mental illness
Patients coping with the chaos and misery of Borderline Personality Disorder now have reason for strong confidence in making major life changes through a new treatment, Schema Therapy.
New ways to predict violent behavior?
In the future, diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption and the analysis of the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the Finnish research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre.
Invisible Ink? What Rorschach Tests Really Tell Us
One of the most well-known psychological tools is the Rorschach Inkblot Test. A viewer looks at ten inkblots, one at a time, and describes what they see.
If bipolar disorder is over-diagnosed, what are the actual diagnoses?
A year ago, a study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reported that fewer than half the patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder received an actual diagnosis of bipolar disorder after using a comprehensive, psychiatric diagnostic interview tool --the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID).
Mayo Clinic researchers examine the psychological impact of child abuse
According to a new Mayo Clinic study, a history of child abuse significantly impacts the wide range of challenges facing depressed inpatients.
MU Researcher Identifies Possible Genetic Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is more common than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and is estimated to affect 2 percent of the population.
Stress-related disorders affect brain's processing of memory
Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have determined that the circuitry in the area of the brain responsible for suppressing memory is dysfunctional in patients suffering from stress-related psychiatric disorders. Results of the study will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Is bipolar disorder overdiagnosed?
A new study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reports that fewer than half the patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder based on a comprehensive, psychiatric diagnostic interview--the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID).
New findings show Enbrel significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), today announced findings from a retrospective analysis, which demonstrated that ENBREL reduced C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis following 12 weeks of treatment.
Gene variant increases risk for alcoholism following childhood abuse
Girls who suffered childhood sexual abuse are more likely to develop alcoholism later in life if they possess a particular variant of a gene involved in the body's response to stress.
More Personality Disorder Current Events and Personality Disorder News Articles
 |
Understanding Personality Disorders: An Introduction by Duane L. Dobbert (Author) Personality-disordered people are not uncommon in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, or even our homes. They include people who are persistently paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, antisocial, or overly dependent. Most of them do not realize the hardships they create for themselves and their families. This book is an introductory guide for those who live and work around personality- disordered people, and for general readers seeking illustrations of the disorders. Dobbert illustrates warning signs that can be missed and walks readers through scenarios that are common with personality-disordered people. He explains how such maladies might develop, and most important, how they can be successfully addressed. |
 |
The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide by Alex Chapman (Author), Kim Gratz (Author) The book is organized as a series of answers to questions common to BPD sufferers: What is BPD? How long does it last? What other problems co-occur with BPD? Overviews what we currently know about BPD make up the first section of the book. Later chapters cover several common treatment approaches to BPD: dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mentalization-based therapy (MBT), and medical treatment using psychoactive drugs. In the last sections of the book, readers learn a range of day-to-day coping skills that can help moderate the symptoms of BPD. |
 |
Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder by Paul T. Mason (Author), Randi Kreger (Author) Stop Walking on Eggshells: Coping When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder is a self-help guide that helps the family members and friends of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) understand this self-destructive disorder and learn what they can do to cope with it and take care of themselves. It is designed to help them understand how the disorder affects their loved ones and recognize what they can do to get off the emotional roller coasters and take care of themselves. |
 |
Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders, Second Edition by Aaron T. Beck MD (Author), EdD Arthur Freeman EdD (Author), Denise D. Davis Phd (Author) This important work presents a cognitive framework for understanding and treating personality disorders. In one volume, Aaron T. Beck and his distinguished coauthors offer both a comprehensive overview of scientific knowledge and a detailed guide to individualized treatment. Part I lays out the conceptual, empirical, and clinical foundations of effective work with this highly challenging population, and Part II describes the process of cognitive-behavioral therapy for each of the specific disorders. Chapters demonstrate the nuts and bolts of differential diagnosis, case conceptualization, and intervention, with particular attention to therapeutic impasses and how to overcome them. |
 |
Treating Borderline Personality Disorder: The Dialectical Approach Starring: Marsha M. Linehan Directed By: Behavioral Tech LLC An important component of DBT is the use of skills training to help manage the extreme beliefs, actions, and attitudes that form the criteria for borderline personality disorder. In actual therapy sessions, the video shows Dr. Linehan teaching patients the use of such skills as mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. Vividly depicting the various stages of treatment, this program shows how DBT helps clients decrease negative behaviors and work toward personal goals. Designed for therapists, the video is also suitable for use in client and family education. In an especially compelling feature, the video includes live interview sessions between Dr. Linehan and Allen J. Frances, Chairman of the DSM-IV Task Force. In these probing dialogues, Dr.... |
 |
Personality Disorders in Modern Life by Theodore Millon (Author), Carrie M. Millon (Author), Sarah Meagher (Author), Seth Grossman (Author), Rowena Ramnath (Author) A revision of the leading textbook on personality disorders by renowned expert Theodore Millon "Personalities are like impressionistic paintings. At a distance, each person is 'all of a piece'; up close, each is a bewildering complexity of moods, cognitions, and motives." Exploring the continuum from normal personality traits to the diagnosis and treatment of severe cases of personality disorders, Personality Disorders in Modern Life, Second Edition is unique in its coverage of both important historical figures and contemporary theorists in the field. Its content spans all the major disorders-Antisocial, Avoidant, Depressive, Compulsive, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Paranoid, Schizoid, and Borderline-as well as their many subtypes. Attention to... |
 |
Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder by Rachel Reiland (Author) Borderline Personality Disorder. "What the hell was that?" raged Rachel Reiland when she read the diagnosis written in her medical chart. As the 29-year old accountant, wife, and mother of young children would soon discover, it was the diagnosis that finally explained her explosive anger, manipulative behaviors, and self-destructive episodes- including bouts of anorexia, substance abuse, and sexual promiscuity. With astonishing honesty, Reiland's memoir reveals what mental illness feels like and looks like from the inside, and how healing from such a devastating disease is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones. |
 |
I Hate You, Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality by Jerold J. Kreisman (Author), Hal Straus (Author) "AM I LOSING MY MIND?" People with Borderline Personality Disorderexperience such violent and frightening mood swingsthat they often fear for their sanity. They can beeuphoric one moment, despairing and depressed thenext. There are an estimated 10 million sufferersof BPD living in America today -- each displayingremarkably similar symptoms: a shaky sense of identity sudden violent outburstsoversensitivity to real or imagined rejection brief, turbulent love affairsfrequent periods of intense depressioneating disorders, drug abuse, and otherself-destructive tendenciesan irrational fear of abandonment and an inability to be alone For years BPD was difficult to describe, diagnose, andtreat. But now, for the first time, Dr. Jerold J. Kreismanand health writer Hal Straus offer... |
 |
Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Living with BPD by Robert O. Friedel (Author), Perry D. Hoffman (Foreword), Dixianne Penney (Foreword), Patricia Woodward (Foreword) Over six million Americans suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), a chronic, disabling psychiatric condition that causes extreme instability in their emotional lives, behavior, and self-image and severely impacts their family and friends. But despite the devastation it can cause, borderline personality disorder remains largely overlooked by the medical community, misunderstood by the public, and many people continue to go misdiagnosed or untreated. In Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified, Dr. Robert Friedel, a leading expert on the disorder and a pioneer in its treatment, turns his vast personal experience into a useful and supportive guide for everyone living with and seeking to understand this condition. Friedel sheds light on all the intricacies of borderline... |
 |
Understanding Personality Disorders DVD Starring: Artist Not Provided The world of mental illness is one that is most often engulfed in shadows - shadows of the heart, shadows of the mind, and shadows of the soul. For many people, the onset of a psychological disorder goes undiagnosed and untreated, and, as a result, they face a constant, if not impossible, struggle to maintain good mental health. This can be especially true when individuals suffer from a personality disorder. Often referred to as "quirks," "eccentricities," or simply "bad behavior," personality disorders can be mild enough to seem "normal" - and thus, go untreated - or severe enough to have a devastatingly negative impact upon a life. However, with identification and understanding, crippling personality disorders can be brought out of the shadows of ignorance and into the light of... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |