Understanding Personality Disorders

This book is an introductory guide for those who live and work around personality- disordered people, and for general readers seeking illustrations of the disorders. Dobbert illustrates warning signs that can be missed and walks readers through scenarios that are common with personality-disordered people. Personality-disordered people are not uncommon in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, or even our homes. They include people who are persistently paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, antisocial, or overly dependent. Most of them do not realize the hardships they create for themselves and their families. This book is an introductory guide for those who live and work around personality- disordered people, and for general readers seeking illustrations of the disorders. Dobbert illustrates warning signs that can be missed and walks readers through scenarios that are common with personality-disordered people. He explains how such maladies might develop, and most important, how they can be successfully addressed.

Misdiagnosed, misunderstood and oftentimes entirely overlooked, the obscurity surrounding personality disorders can debilitate as much as the disorders themselves. Using case study examples throughout, this book illustrates the nature and reality of personality disorders and how they play out in the daily lives of those living with them as well as their family members, coworkers, and friends. By explaining the warning signs along with how such disorders might develop, Dobbert demonstrates how personality disorders can be effectively addressed and treated. Distinguishing between the accepted psychological criteria for disorders and the everyday upsets that some might wrongfully determine to be personality disorders, he carefully outlines the contours of such disorders and how to recognize and address them when they arise. In accessible style, Dobbert offers the reader a clear, succinct, and careful overview of the various disorders and what they mean for all those affected by them.