Therapy in Philadelphia / Personality Disorders and Anorexia
Personality disorders are Patterns of behavior that are pervasive, pathological, and persistent. The behaviors present by late adolescence or early adulthood.
Personality Disorders Commonly Associated with Anorexia Nervosa
* Avoidant
* Dependent
* Obsessive Compulsive
* Borderline Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder: (personality disorders and anorexia) People with this personality avoid situations due to their social anxiety. Avoidant people are afraid of being rejected or hurt so they avoid social interaction. They may appear to be disinterested in socializing with others. However, their seeming aloofness is really masking their insecurity. They may spend time with family members but they usually have no more than one close friend. They often feel hopeless. They have a negative view of themselves. They tend to have less than adequate social skills. They are shy and awkward. A significant percentage of people with this personality disorder turn to alcohol abuse. They are often lonely and depressed about their lack of social support. .
Dependent Personality Disorder: (personality disorders and anorexia) People with dependent personality disorder are easily hurt by real or imagined criticism from others. They feel devastated when a close relationship they have ends. They are people pleasers and will volunteer to do things they do not want to do in order to gain approval from others. They need excessive advice and reassurance for everyday decisions. They are not comfortable being alone. They view themselves as helpless and believe they need other people to take care of them. They do not believe they can cope with the demands of the world independently. They resist developing their own independence because they associate it with being completely alone. They fear becoming competent because they think they will be abandoned if others perceive they no longer need to be taken care of….
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: (personality disorders and anorexia) Unlike Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (which is an Anxiety Disorder) people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are not bothered by their symptoms. They are perfectionist, rigid, and compulsive. They do not see these traits as problematic. They are indecisive and prone to ruminate. They also tend to be hoarders, meaning they do not throw out objects that are of no particular sentimental or monetary value. Their perfectionism interferes with their ability to complete tasks. They tend to be workaholics. They do not like to delegate tasks because they are concerned that someone else will not perform the task in the “perfect manner”. They tend to be pessimistic and to overanalyze things. They rarely engage in leisure activities because they see them as a waste of time.
Borderline Personality Disorder: (personality disorders and anorexia - this is common only in the Binge Purging Subtype of Anorexia) People with Borderline personality disorder tend to view things in all or nothing terms. They tend to see a person as all good or all bad. They can idealize someone one week and hate him or her next. They tend to be manipulative. They are inconsistent and have difficulty with their interpersonal relationships. They have a deep fear of rejection and abandonment… They tend to have difficulty managing their anger. They often overreact to any sign of possible rejection from someone. They have chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom. They commonly self injure. They engage is self-destructive behavior such as reckless driving, shoplifting, binge eating and substance abuse.
Seeking help? Call a counselor at the Center for Growth / Therapy in Philadelphia. 267-324-9564.
