Wednesday, December 03, 2008

1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder

Come on. 20% of young people have a personality disorder? Wikipedia (not my favorite source, but I'm short on time.) offers this definition of personality disorders:
Personality disorders are defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as "an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the individual who exhibits it". [1] These patterns, as noted, are inflexible and pervasive across many situations, due in large part to the fact that such behavior is ego-syntonic (i.e., the patterns are consistent with the ego integrity of the individual), and therefore, perceived to be appropriate by that individual.
8% with obsessive compulsive personality disorder? 12% with anxiety disorders?
Counting substance abuse, the study found that nearly half of young people surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition, including students and non-students.
So, if a young person is seated in from of a psychiatrist, they have a 1 in 2 chance of being diagnosed with a psychiatric condition?

If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If 20% of everyone has a condition is it really a condition or is it a variation of "normal"? We all have a condition; the human condition.