Functioning Normally with a Personality Disorder

Canada
December 4, 2016 2:31pm CST
I was diagnosed with a moderate to severe personality disorder almost five years ago now, and proceeded to spend a good majority of the next three years cycling through different medications to "control" it, attending different discussion groups and counselling sessions, even going so far as to consulting a psychotherapist hours away from home. All of this led me to realize one thing: the world of psychology actually has no idea what to do about Personality Disorders, and not just mine. So I stopped seeking psychiatric help and instead starting seeing my family practitioner more regularly, getting on medication to treat the depression and anxiety that result from bearing a diagnosis like mine. For the record, I was diagnosed with moderate to severe Antisocial Personality Disorder, a diagnosis that often causes the patient more harm than good. (This disorder is more commonly referred to as sociopathy/psychopathy.) I have spent the majority of my life actively building up moral values and studying psychology and sociology in an attempt to better understand other people, or at least those that aren't like me. The biggest benefit of this is that it has actually started to help me manage my disorder, something that I was barely managing to do before. Thanks to my personal studies (I didn't attend school, just online courses), I've been able to work towards reducing the negative effects of my disorder on both myself and those around me. Overall, I am proud of the progress I am making, but sometimes I feel myself slipping into old habits, many of which ae more harmful to others (emotionally) than myself. So my question here is whether you have dealt with managing a personality disorder, either your own or someone else's, and what helps you keep yourself in check? I always love hearing ideas!
1 person likes this
1 response
@shubhu3 (36463)
• New Delhi, India
5 Dec 16
I would say that stay in contact with a Counselling psychologist because they will help you too. I know.you know a lot yet they will also help you. I am happy that you are able to treat yourself by your own.
• Canada
5 Dec 16
See, the problem with counsellors and psychologists is that their goal isn't typically to make your life better, but to teach you how to be a normal member of society and act normally. That's entirely unfair to anyone with a personality disorder as far as I'm concerned.
1 person likes this
@shubhu3 (36463)
• New Delhi, India
5 Dec 16
@RiggsMortis See they will empower you to deal with every negative thing and make you independent to deal and live effectively. If you need somebody to make your life better that means you are becoming dependent on someone for your happiness. Psychologists will empower you to make you independent in a way that you would not need them or anyone after having appropriate sessions to make you happy or make your life happier because after that time you will be able to self regulate your happiness and lifestyle in a much better and constructive manner.
• Canada
7 Dec 16
This comment has made two things clear to me, the first being that you know nothing of my disorder (we don't form dependencies on other people), the second being that you have clearly not understood most of what I have been saying (I have been self-regulated, self-sufficient, MAKING MYSELF HAPPY, and well for YEARS). I tried to be polite at first, but I'm done now. I stopped seeing psychologists of my own accord because I was aware that the "therapy" they were providing me with was literally just forcibly teaching my brain to go through processes that I had learned to do on my own over a decade prior. As my general practitioner put it to me so bluntly, you can't help someone who's already taken every possible step on their own. So please read next time. I'm not paying another f*cking psychologist for them to tell me they can't do anything more for me than I already have. You obviously only know about one or a select few personality disorders, my own not being one of them. Look it up before commenting next time.