Traumatic childhood: New insights into personality disorders!

Traumatic childhood: New insights into personality disorders!

An international research team, consisting of members from the Free University of Berlin, the Psychological University of Berlin and the University Psychiatric Clinics of Basel, has published a comprehensive study on personality disorders. The results were published in the specialist journal British Journal of Psychiatry published. The study focuses in particular on the central characteristics of these mental illnesses, which can significantly affect both individual well-being and social coexistence.

The characteristic symptoms of personality disorders include difficulties in establishing and maintaining relationships and a fragile or changeable self-image. Those affected often have problems understanding other people's emotions and motives. These difficulties are often accompanied by primitive defense mechanisms, such as the tendency to attack others when experiencing negative feelings or to blame uninvolved people for one's own suffering. Although such mechanisms offer short-term protection from stressful emotions, in the long term they lead to difficulties in coexistence.

Causes of personality disorders

The origin of these personality disorders can often be found in adverse childhood experiences. The study is based on interviews and clinical diagnoses of over 500 people in Germany and Switzerland. It turns out that early childhood experiences, family circumstances and upbringing are shaping factors for the development of mental disorders. Particularly devaluing and unemotional behavior on the part of parents contributes significantly to the development of personality disorders, which is shown by the findings of Metamorphoses is supported.

Repeated rejection and criticism during childhood lead to a negative self-image for many young people. It is estimated that around 10% of adolescents meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). What is alarming is that around 70% of respondents with BPD report traumatic childhood experiences. The prevalence of personality disorders in youth is between 3 and 5%. In addition, 40% of young people with BPD report experiencing significant impairments in their parental bond.

The emotional demands and support that are missing in childhood have far-reaching consequences. Children who are emotionally neglected have up to 67% higher risk of suffering from mental illnesses in adulthood. A strong feeling of inadequacy, manifested by shyness, social anxiety and a distorted self-image, can cause symptoms of insecure personality disorder. Therapeutic approaches such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) have proven effective in helping these patients.

Therapeutic approaches

Given the complex causes and complicated symptoms of personality disorders, a comprehensive therapeutic approach is required. Dr. André Kerber, one of the lead researchers, emphasizes that a better understanding of these psychological mechanisms is particularly important in times of political and social crises. Psychotherapies often have to combine different methods in order to meet the diverse challenges that exist in the therapeutic relationship and the willingness to undergo therapy.

It is particularly important to emphasize that emotional factors in childhood are crucial for the later development of mental illnesses. Negative experiences, for example in social groups or through bullying, have lasting effects on personality development and can have long-term consequences on the quality of life. The findings of this study offer valuable approaches for therapy and prevention that can specifically incorporate psychodynamic concepts.