Post by Mea on Dec 16, 2015 9:26:48 GMT
Anonymous asked: What does it mean if someone has traits of a disorder versus the full disorder? For instance, I'm currently wondering if I have BPD with ASPD traits. I've spoken with someone who does have ASPD, and they told me that this was entirely possible. But in general, what does having traits rather than the full thing usually look like?
Answer: To be diagnosed with a PD, you have to meet certain criteria. Sometimes, you don’t meet all of the criteria, but you do meet some. It’s possible to not meet the basic criteria for PDs; or you might have only some of the symptoms of several PDs; or you could have one or more full PDs with some traits from other PDs.
The diagnosis of mental illness is based on distress and impairment. If you have experiences similar to symptoms of a disorder, but your experiences rarely cause distress/impairment, they could be considered traits instead of symptoms. For example, I have intrusive thoughts, but they are not usually intense or frequent enough to upset me very much.
Even symptoms that don’t always distress the person who has them, such as having low empathy, should impact their life. For example, having low empathy might lead to arguments because you don’t or can’t understand how others are feeling.
In BPD, there are no required symptoms. Some other PDs do have required symptoms. For example, you must have both symptoms in Section III to be diagnosed with NPD. Even if you have every other symptom, it’s not enough.
PDs that are in the same cluster are often more likely to be comorbid with each other. This is both because they have overlapping symptoms and because different PDs share similar risk factors. You could try putting the criteria side by side, highlighting overlapping symptoms, and highlighting symptoms that are unique to one disorder.
If you have a hard time deciding which PD/s affects you the most, it’s likely that your PDs are comorbid. If one or two of your PDs affect you much more than the other/s, then those other/s might be traits rather than full disorders. Only you (with the help of your support network and/or mental health practitioners, if appropriate) can decide how much distress or impairment your symptoms cause you.
In summary: Having traits of a disorder means you partially meet the criteria for diagnosis, but not fully. Disorders you have traits of don’t impair your life or cause distress as much as a diagnosable disorder.
- Exo
Answer: To be diagnosed with a PD, you have to meet certain criteria. Sometimes, you don’t meet all of the criteria, but you do meet some. It’s possible to not meet the basic criteria for PDs; or you might have only some of the symptoms of several PDs; or you could have one or more full PDs with some traits from other PDs.
The diagnosis of mental illness is based on distress and impairment. If you have experiences similar to symptoms of a disorder, but your experiences rarely cause distress/impairment, they could be considered traits instead of symptoms. For example, I have intrusive thoughts, but they are not usually intense or frequent enough to upset me very much.
Even symptoms that don’t always distress the person who has them, such as having low empathy, should impact their life. For example, having low empathy might lead to arguments because you don’t or can’t understand how others are feeling.
In BPD, there are no required symptoms. Some other PDs do have required symptoms. For example, you must have both symptoms in Section III to be diagnosed with NPD. Even if you have every other symptom, it’s not enough.
PDs that are in the same cluster are often more likely to be comorbid with each other. This is both because they have overlapping symptoms and because different PDs share similar risk factors. You could try putting the criteria side by side, highlighting overlapping symptoms, and highlighting symptoms that are unique to one disorder.
If you have a hard time deciding which PD/s affects you the most, it’s likely that your PDs are comorbid. If one or two of your PDs affect you much more than the other/s, then those other/s might be traits rather than full disorders. Only you (with the help of your support network and/or mental health practitioners, if appropriate) can decide how much distress or impairment your symptoms cause you.
In summary: Having traits of a disorder means you partially meet the criteria for diagnosis, but not fully. Disorders you have traits of don’t impair your life or cause distress as much as a diagnosable disorder.
- Exo
