Personality is the way of thinking, feeling, and behaving that makes a person different from other people. To be classified as a personality disorder, one's way of thinking, feeling, and behaving deviates from the expectations of the culture, causes distress or problems functioning, and lasts over time (1). Over time, personality disorders have been misunderstood making them largely underdiagnosed or even misdiagnosed as other disorders. Personality disorders can cause distress for the individuals around them as having a family member with a personality disorder can be extremely difficult, confusing, painful, and even in particular circumstances, traumatic.

I frequently work with adult children who grew up with BPD (borderline personality disorder) or NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) parents. Sometimes if their parents were not formally diagnosed by a clinician, then they showed strong tendencies of one or both of these personality disorders.

Usually, these adult children struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, self-esteem issues, anger problems or the ability to self-regulate, have attachment issues in their relationships, and/or have developed other mental health disorders themselves. Symptoms range and are not limited to the ones I have listed.

Even though there has been tremendous diversity among my clients - and I welcome all - I have a special interest in this work and these clients. I will work with you to process these harmful experiences and heal from them. I will provide you with valuable coping strategies and practical information that helps you set proper boundaries, and have a healthy relationship (if you want to) with your loved one with a PD.

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Association. (2022).