A personality disorder is characterized by an unhealthy way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It can cause teens to struggle with relating to people and their environment and significantly impact their education and development. Personality disorder treatment can help teens manage their symptoms and better cope with triggering situations. Teen mental health programs in Washingtontreat all types of personality disorders through a combination of behavioral therapy and medication-assisted treatment.
At Imagine Seattle, we provide comprehensive treatment for teens aged 12-17 struggling with a personality disorder through our outpatient treatment center. During admissions, we will run a full assessment of your teen’s physical and mental health and create a tailored treatment plan based on their unique symptoms. If you would like to speak with someone about our personality disorders treatment program in Seattle, WA, call 888.346.0473 today to discover all of the benefits of enrolling your teen in our mental health treatment facility.
How Can Personality Disorder Treatment Help Your Teen?
Your personality is how you think, feel, act, and speak and what makes you unique from every other person in the world. Even identical twins will have separate personalities because it is based on individual experiences and personal and family relationships. Teens with a personality disorder will act and think differently and will form a rigid perception of the world that they feel is perfectly normal.
Personality disorders are caused by several factors, including genetics, family history, and the environment teens grow up. Variations in brain chemistry or structure can make your teen more likely to have a personality disorder. Teens with a family history of personality disorder or who live in an abusive or unstable home are also more susceptible.
At Imagine Seattle, our personality disorder treatment program helps teens who are struggling with a personality disorder. We work one-on-one with your teen to help them understand their feelings and develop coping skills for managing their symptoms and triggers.
Types of Personality Disorders
Many different types of personality disorders can impact a teen’s development and well-being. If left untreated, their disorder can worsen and lead to co-occurring disorders of depression or substance abuse.
Here are five common types of personality disorders in teens:
- Antisocial personality disorder—Teens with this type of disorder are unable to understand or follow common social etiquette. They may constantly lie or deceive others and act out impulsively.
- Borderline personality disorder—BPD can impact teens’ relationships and their ability to control their emotions, and they often have a poor self-image. Symptoms include fear of abandonment, suicide attempts, intense anger, or feelings of emptiness.
- Narcissistic personality disorder—This type of disorder is characterized by an intense need for admiration and a lack of empathy. They are obsessed with their appearance and will have an overinflated sense of self-importance and entitlement, and will often take advantage of others.
- Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder—Teens with this disorder will be obsessed with order, perfection, and being in control. They can obsess over a single task and ignore everything around them.
- Paranoid personality disorder—This disorder makes it hard for teens to trust others and form close relationships. They assume everyone around them will harm or deceive them and make forming close relationships difficult.
Diagnosing personality disorders in teens can be difficult as they are still developing their personalities. The typical age for most personality disorders to appear is between 15-18 years of age.
Find an Effective Personality Disorder Treatment Program in Seattle, WA
At Imagine Seattle, we support teen boys and girls between 12-17 years old who are struggling with a personality disorder. In addition to receiving medication to minimize the symptoms that are causing the most harm, teens will participate in a variety of behavioral and holistic therapies, including:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Crisis intervention therapy
- Family therapy
- Teen relationship counseling
- Co-occurring disorder treatment
If you suspect your teen is struggling with a personality disorder, call 888.346.0473 today to speak with our knowledgeable staff.