The moment a person is born, their personality begins to take shape. As they grow and develop, they may become extroverted, introverted, kind, strict, or adopt any number of traits that will define who they are. However, when certain character traits, such as lack of empathy, carelessness, and anxiety, seem to cause strange behaviors that interfere with their daily lives and relationships with others, it is easy to assume that some form of mental disorder may be the cause. . What many people don't realize is that instead of it being a mental problem, it may be a problem with their personality. Although mental disorders and personality disorders are associated, clinicians often pay more attention to mental disorders and ignore the fact that a personality disorder may have been the catalyst for the development of a certain mental disorder, such as depression and schizophrenia. If the signs of a personality disorder can be identified in early childhood or adolescence, when they are most ignored, this will not only make the disorder more manageable for the person and everyone close to them, but it will also prevent the disorder to get worse. out of control and affecting their adult lives. Author Stuart C. Yudofsky, MD and practitioner of psychopharmacology and neuropsychiatry, defines a personality disorder as a persistent pattern of behavior that deviates markedly from a person's culture and leads to "significant distress and relationship ". problems." However, there is some controversy when it comes to diagnosing what exactly defines a personality disorder. Indeed, many of the traits seen in a person with a personality disorder are also found in normal people. For example, a person... middle of paper ......vigation Destructive relationships with people with personality and character disorders Washington DC: America PsychiatryPub 2005. Print. is part psychiatry textbook and part self-help book. It reviews the biology, psychology and genetics of different personality disorders, such as narcissism, paranoia, antisocialism and. compulsive obsessions The author, Stuart C. Yudofsky MD, is a medical graduate of Baylor College of Medicine. His practice focuses on two areas: psycho-pharmacology and neuropsychiatry. of Behavioral Sciences from Baylor College of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Methodist Hospital. The publisher, American Psychiatric Pub., is a global publisher of books, journals and multimedia content in psychiatry, mental health and behavioral sciences..