Personality disorders occur when a person’s interpretation of themselves, the world and their relationships becomes maladaptive. That interpretation then leads the person to act out, creating patterns of pain, loss and suffering. Clinically, a personality disorder is a mental health condition characterised by long-term patterns of inflexible thoughts and behaviours that detrimentally impact a person’s life.  When we speak of ‘personality’, we are referring to the patterns of behaviour, thoughts and emotions that make up the core sense of who we are. 

Our personality is moulded throughout our lives, influenced by our experiences, our childhood and our biology, it is never wholly consistent. However, for someone with a personality disorder, that inconsistency is intensified, often leading to a distorted view of the world and their own position within it. By ‘distorted,’ we mean filled with fear, panic and insecurity. Those feelings then, in turn, often lead the individual to act in destructive ways, in an attempt to regain a sense of control over themselves and those ‘distorted’ emotions. 

There is no single cause of a personality disorder but the most common cause is trauma such as abuse, absent parenting, neglect and violence in early childhood.

Through our combination of medical, psychological and personal care, we are proud to be the only personality disorders treatment facility in the world that addresses co-occurring conditions and every possible root-cause of personality disorders.