Many people arrive at this page after years of being told they are too much, too sensitive, or too difficult. Relationships that start well and end badly. Emotions that arrive at full volume. A sense of not quite knowing who you are underneath it all.
Personality disorders are treatable, and the outlook is considerably better than most people have been led to believe. Our therapists and psychiatric providers work with these conditions directly rather than treating them as something to be managed around.
What a Personality Disorder Actually Is
A personality disorder describes a long-standing pattern in how a person thinks, feels, relates to others, and manages emotion. The pattern is persistent, it shows up across different parts of life, and it causes real difficulty. These patterns usually take shape in the teenage years or early adulthood.
It is worth being clear about what the term does not mean. It is not a statement about your worth, your character, or whether you are a good person. Most of these patterns developed as ways of coping with something, often early on, and they made sense at the time even if they do not serve you now.
The word personality also makes this sound more fixed than it is. Patterns of thinking and relating can shift with the right treatment, and for some conditions the research on long term improvement is genuinely encouraging.
What We Work With
Several patterns fall under this heading. You do not need to know which one applies to you before making an appointment.
Borderline. Intense emotions, unstable relationships, fear of abandonment, impulsivity
Avoidant. Deep sensitivity to rejection and withdrawal from closeness
Obsessive-compulsive. Rigid perfectionism and control, different from OCD
Dependent. Difficulty making decisions or functioning without reassurance
Narcissistic. Fragile self-esteem behind a need for admiration
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is a different condition from OCD, despite the shared name. They are commonly confused, including by clinicians.
Why These Are Often Missed or Mislabeled
Borderline personality disorder in particular is frequently mistaken for something else. Mood swings get read as bipolar disorder. Emotional intensity gets read as anxiety. People often spend years on medications aimed at the wrong target, concluding that treatment does not work for them, when the issue was that the pattern underneath had never been named.
Personality disorders also rarely appear alone. Depression, anxiety, trauma histories, and substance use often sit alongside them, and any one of those can dominate the picture in a short appointment. Sorting out what is driving what takes time and a provider willing to spend it.
Getting the picture right matters because the treatments differ. What helps borderline personality disorder is not primarily a medication, and no amount of adjusting one will substitute for the therapy that does work.
How They Are Treated
THERAPY LEADS, MEDICATION SUPPORTS
Treatment here is skills based and structured. It is work, and it tends to reward the people who stay with it.
01
A thorough evaluation
History, current patterns, and what else may be going on. This is not something diagnosed from a fifteen minute visit.
02
DBT and skills based therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotion, distress, and relationships. It has the strongest evidence behind it for borderline personality disorder.
03
Other approaches
CBT and ACT also have a place depending on the pattern and what you are working on. Your therapist will explain which they are using and why.
04
Medication where it helps
No medication treats a personality disorder itself, but medication can help with depression, anxiety, or sleep alongside it. Your prescriber is in this practice.
If You Need Support Right Now
You do not have to wait for an appointment to talk to someone. These lines are free, confidential, and available around the clock.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, any time, day or night.
Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained counselor.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. Reaching out during a crisis is not a setback in your treatment, and it will not be treated as one here.
Why Choose A Ray of Hope
Plenty of practices will not take these referrals. We do. Our therapists are trained in the approaches that actually work for these conditions, and our prescribers are in the same building rather than across town, which matters when therapy and medication need to be adjusted together.
Therapists trained in DBT, ACT, and CBT
Psychiatry and therapy under one practice
Time taken over diagnosis rather than a quick label
Care for the depression, anxiety, or trauma alongside it
Providers who do not treat these conditions as hopeless
In person or by telehealth for eligible patients
Find the Right Provider
Most people start with a therapist. If medication is already part of your care, or you think it should be, our psychiatric providers work alongside them.
Ready When You Are
Choose the office nearest you to request an appointment, or give us a call and we will help you find the right provider.
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