Depression and Personality Disorders

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the world. In the U.S., about 6.7% of the adult population will experience an episode of depression in a given year. While there is no single cause of any mental health condition, a combination of different factors can increase a person’s risk of becoming depressed. Also, the symptoms of depression and comorbid conditions can worsen the effects of each. When it comes to the complex nature of personality disorders, it can be difficult for clinicians to differentiate between personality disorders and depression, and effectively treat both.

What is a personality disorder?

A personality disorder is when the way someone thinks, feels, perceives, and behaves that deviates markedly from the norm, and these patterns cause distress in their relationships and ability to function. Deviation refers to the person’s cultural norms, and these disruptions in thinking and behavior must create patterns that last over a long period and be disruptive for it to be considered indicative of a personality disorder.

Personality disorders are long-term patterns and thoughts that significantly differ from what is considered expected behavior. It’s important to understand that trauma, grief, and even periods of depression can change a person’s behavior or perception. But these tend to go away over a period. What’s different with personality disorders is they are fixed, and the issues they cause will last for a person’s lifetime unless they get treatment for a mental health disorder.

There are ten individual personality disorders listed in the current DSM V. For a diagnosis, the abnormal patterns of behavior, perception, and thinking must start in the late teen years, or early adulthood and cause significant distress and problems in daily functioning. Some of the most significant issues that personality disorders cause will be present in the individual’s personal relationships. People with high-functioning personality disorders may do remarkably well in school or their professional lives. But they may exhibit a string of broken relationships or have difficulty forming close, healthy bonds with others because of an untreated personality disorder. Personality disorders influence the following patterns:

It is critical to understand that nearly everyone can exhibit the signs of a personality disorder at some point in their lives. The difference between transient, harmful behaviors and perception, versus a clinical personality disorder is the inflexibility of the person’s belief system and their subsequent responses.

How is depression linked to personality disorders?

The behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that are present in personality disorders are considered deviant and abnormal by societal standards. Erratic, rigid, and emotional behaviors that are associated with personality disorders will lead to severe issues with a patient’s relationships and ability to function in society. They are at increased risk of feeling guilty, or self-loathing because of their past behaviors and the consequences of their actions. For people with personality disorders, these feelings can either trigger depression symptoms or worsen them.

Also, the increased chances of a person, especially with a cluster B personality, turning to drugs and alcohol to cope can also trigger depression symptoms or make them worse. In some studies, more than half of patients admitted to hospitals for major depressive disorder meet the diagnostic criteria for at least one comorbid personality disorder.