personality disorders

Personality disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating that deviate significantly from cultural expectations, cause distress or impairment, and tend to be pervasive across situations. Examples include narcissistic, borderline, antisocial, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

In trauma-informed care, personality disorders are often understood as extreme adaptations to early relational environments that felt unsafe or unpredictable. The patterns that look like "disorder" were once survival strategies. This framing does not excuse harmful behavior—especially for those on the receiving end—but it can help clinicians treat the underlying pain and help survivors of personality-disordered family members understand what they have been living with.