Pathological Personalities

An Associated Press article pointed out the one in five prevalence of personality disorders among young American adults.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081202/ap_on_he_me/med_mental_health

Says the article, "personality disorders were the second most common problem behind drug or alcohol abuse as a single category. The disorders include obsessive, anti-social and paranoid behaviors that are not mere quirks but actually interfere with ordinary functioning."

This is based on face-to-face interviews about numerous disorders with more than 5,000 young people ages 19 to 25. The study is published in journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

For a good discussion on personality disorders, check out:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/personality-disorders/DS00562/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all

In many interpersonal relationships -- as a doctor, as an employee and co-worker, as a family member -- personality disorders can pose some of the biggest challenges. Work load? Bring it on! Physical stress? Bring it on, too! But two minutes with someone with a personality disorder, and you're exhausted for the rest of the day.