MYTH: “People with personality disorders are incurable and untreatable.”
FACT: People with various types of personality disorders typically improve over time, with psychotherapy such as dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) being particularly effective for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (Paris, 2015).
MYTH: “Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder are very extroverted and outwardly confident”
FACT: While this presentation exists and describes grandiose (overt) narcissism, research has established that narcissism also frequently manifests as vulnerable (covert) narcissism, which is characterized by introversion, anxiety, and avoidance (Weinberg & Ronningstam, 2022).
MYTH: “OCPD is just another name for OCD.”
FACT: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are distinct conditions, although they can co-occur. OCPD typically involves a lifetime pattern of pervasive perfectionism, overworking and inflexibility; OCD is characterized by specific and fluctuating obsessions and/or compulsions (Dondu & Sevincok, 2025).
MYTH: “People with personality disorders are violent”
FACT: Statistical evidence shows that individuals with mental illnesses are actually more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators. While some traits (like low empathy in antisocial personality disorder) exist, violence is not a defining or typical trait across the board (Chow et al., 2025).
Chow, R. T. S., Yu, R., Geddes, J. R., & Fazel, S. (2025). Personality disorders, violence and antisocial behaviour: updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 227(1), 481–491. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2024.226
Dondu, A., & Sevincok, L. (2025). Clinical characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder comorbid with obsessive -compulsive personality disorder: subtype implications. Frontiers in psychiatry, 16, 1577042. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1577042
Paris J. (2015). The Natural History of Personality Disorders: Recovery and Residual Symptoms. Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 60(7), 301–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371506000701
Weinberg, I., & Ronningstam, E. (2022). Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Progress in Understanding and Treatment. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 20(4), 368–377. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20220052
By Eileen Danaee
ISSPD Student Committee Social Media/ Relations Chair
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