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Personality Disorders Treatment at PCI Centers

Home Personality Disorders Treatment at PCI Centers

What Is a Personality Disorder?

At PCI Centers, we recognize that personality disorders are often misunderstood and misused in everyday conversation. These conditions represent enduring, pervasive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that diverge significantly from cultural expectations and cause distress or impairment. The behaviors and inner experiences characteristic of personality disorders tend to emerge in adolescence or early adulthood and remain inflexible across various situations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; NIMH, 2025) (PCI Westlake Centers).

Personality Disorders

Diagnostic Criteria for Personality Disorders

According to the DSM‑5‑TR, a personality disorder requires that an individual’s long-standing pattern:

  • Deviates markedly from cultural norms in at least two domains-cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control
  • Is inflexible and pervasive across many contexts
  • Causes significant distress or impairment
  • Is stable, with onset traceable to adolescence or early adulthood
  • Is not better explained by another mental disorder or by substance use or medical condition (PCI Westlake Centers)

Prevalence & Types of Personality Disorders

Personality disorders affect a meaningful share of individuals—approximately 9% of U.S. adults and about 6% globally (PCI Westlake Centers). They are grouped into three clusters:

  • Cluster A (odd or eccentric)-e.g., Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal
  • Cluster B (dramatic or erratic)-e.g., Borderline, Narcissistic, Histrionic, Antisocial
  • Cluster C (anxious or fearful)-e.g., Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive–Compulsive (Health, Wikipedia)

Individuals may struggle with empathy, impulse control, stable identity, or emotional regulation, depending on the specific disorder.

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PCI Centers’ Treatment Approach to Personality Disorders

At PCI Centers, we provide compassionate, expert care for individuals living with personality disorders:

  • Accurate Assessment - Through psychological and neuropsychological evaluations, we identify underlying traits and impairment across identity, interpersonal behavior, and emotional regulation.
  • Targeted Psychotherapy - We utilize evidence-based modalities tailored to the individual—such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Schema Therapy, and CBT—selected based on severity and client needs.
  • Medication Coordination - While no medications are specifically approved for personality disorders, pharmacotherapy may be used to address co-occurring symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or mood instability.
  • Holistic, Collaborative Care - Clients benefit from flexible program formats—including outpatient therapy, IOP, and telehealth—and work collaboratively with our multidisciplinary team to foster insight, stability, and growth.

Why Choose PCI Centers

  • Integrated diagnostic process to distinguish personality-related patterns from other mental health conditions
  • Flexible levels of care adapted for each client’s life context
  • Clinicians skilled in specialized, trauma-informed, and evidence-based treatments
  • Ongoing, personalized treatment planning, adjusting as progress unfolds
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Taking the Next Step

If you or a loved one live in Thousand Oaks or Westlake Village and are navigating challenges related to personality patterns, support is available. At PCI Centers, we’re committed to helping you cultivate self-awareness, emotional balance, and meaningful relationships—guided by clinical excellence and compassionate care.

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

2. National Institute of Mental Health. (2025). Personality Disorders. Retrieved from NIMH website.

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