Personality disorders under 18?

Question

Why is it that personality disorders are almost never diagnosed under the age of 18?

Answer 1

Personality disorders are generally not diagnosed very often. There are several reasons that I will explain later in the body of this message.
Personality disorders have specific criteria that a person must meet, the primary criteria is that the disorder has to cause significant impairment in either social, recreational, or occupational functioning and can not be contributed to an Axis I mood disorder. Specific other age related criteria must also be met to diagnose certain personality disorders such as Antisocial Personality Disorder (DSM-IVR 301.70), which states for people under the age of 15, the must also have had evidence of a conduct disorder.
Now with that said here comes the real revelation. Many times teens are admitted to inpatient psychiatric units with Axis I Major Mood Disorders, even though they suffer from personality disorders. Insurance companies often refuse to pay increased costs involved in inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations for a personality disorder diagnosis. Unfortunately the health care system in the United States is fiscally driven, not health care need oriented.
Finally, many symptoms of personality disorders mimic actual mood disorder symptoms, especially dealing with children. For instance Borderline Personality Disorder (DSM-IVR 301.83) traits are often confused or mistaken for symptoms consistent with Bi-Polar disorder. It is advised to take a child to a certified child psychiatrist or psychologist for evaluation.

Answer 2

It is very common for people diagnosed with personality disorders to be mis diagnosed. It is often times used as a last result, because the doctor is unable to come up with a sure diagnose and needs to have a diagnose to continue treatment.

Personality disorders should never be diagnosed unless the person has been in treatment and observed for at least 3 years. It is hard enough to correctly diagnose most teenagers with disorders, but almost impossible with personality disorders. too many changes are being made with the young person, changes in brain function, social changes, hormonal changes, physical changes that probabely most teenages at one time or another would make an excellent case for a personality disorder

ask any parent of a teenager

Answer 3

Personality disorders are exremely hard to diagnose. One can not go into therapy, or see a psych doc once and them know. They have to see what you talk about. How you look at things, and what happens in your every day life. The brain is still growing at 18, which doesnt give much in the aspect of personality disorders. If one is diagnosed under 18, chances are... that it's prominant. One should never diagnose a personality disorder themselves. A certified doctor needs to be the one to diagnose it. In the time alotted from that Doctor.

Also, past life experiences, could be a part of that. Their personalities comming out. Their memories. Their life. Even could be so much as their death.

Answer 4

18 is a pretty arbitrary cut-off point, but what's really behind it is the general concept that people's personalities are still developing, even as they grow into young adults. So psychiatrists avoid diagnosing younger people with personality disorders, because there's no need to burden someone with a diagnosis when it's likely that what appears to be a disorder is likely to be a "phase" that they're going through and will outgrow. They're more likely to recommend the individual get therapy to help them deal with whatever triggered the behavior/personality change, so that they can deal with it in a healthy way rather than continuing to cope with it in an unhealthy way. Also, even very healthy children often exhibit behaviors that would be signs of a personality disorder in an adult. For instance, a young child who is dependent on his/her caregiver is perfectly normal, but an adult who constantly feels dependent on someone else might be diagnosed with dependent personality disorder. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Because once you get labeled with a personality disorder it's pretty much with you for life. People under 18 are not diagnosed with them because it is believed that a personality is not entirely set in stone before then and to label someone with a personality disorder before this could ruin someone's life unnecessarily.

If they diagnosed under 18 pretty much every hormonal adolescent would have a diagnosis.

Answer 6

1. Some of our child--age disorders are things that we grow out of--at least, it is hoped that we grow out of them, so adults and professionals wait and hope that they will disappear on their own.

2. There is a mental block among those adults, which says that young people have no burdens and nothing to worry about, therefore they will ignore it and hope it goes away.

3. Despite the sudden burdens of adolescence, and a fairly high prevalence of teen suicides, the blinders remain on. Maybe some parents think they'll just wait until their kid is an adult so the parents don't have to do anything to help. Or else, they don't know how to help, or what to do.

5. Throughout our society, mental illness is suspect and sometimes not covered by insurance, unless there are objective manifestations of anti--social behavior.

Basically, when something cannot be detected on X--rays and MRIs, a lot of insurers and professionals think that no problem exists.

But think about this: We aren't born adolescent. So when it comes to us, some twelve years into our lives, it can be a shock and something to adjust to. Plus, the coming knowledge that we will have to leave our parental safety net, and go out and be like our parents, is enough to scare a lot of young people, who don't feel ready to do any such thing.

In summary, society ignores the complaints of young people, or doesn't pay attention, and both our parenting and our school and professional health care systems are to blame.

Society pays a cost later. Those problematic young people later become problematic adults--drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, etc.

Hoping that young people will grow out of things, and that problems will magically go away,does not work. It would be so much better to pay more attention, and to try to cure problems when there is the best chance to do so, before they fester into monstrous disease entities.

Sorry for the long answer.

Good Question.

Answer 7

I have no idea. I swear, people tell me it's normal. I'm 14 and I feel like I have at least 8 other personalities because I have a nearly complete history of where they could've been born,their age is different from mine, smarter, dumber, more charming, shy, dominant and agrresive... Whatever! I say it's different personalities. I don't know why they don't say it's true....
Sometimes it's like I'm another person.. But most of the time I can control it. But they fight alot when I have much stress and I get a headache because two or three of them are argueing. I can hear them, but uhm..It just gives me a headache. x.x;

Answer 8

because they are still developing and personality disorders are difficult enough to diagnose in adults. A child's behavior can just be a result of parents or environment or a cry for help.

Answer 9

My Psychologist said "Because children are still developing." but maybe she just said that to cover up her un professional self. Some shrinks out there have no idea they even what Psychology/Psychiatry is. So that is one of those things that people say but it is not always true. In fact I have met several.

Answer 10

they normally dont diagnose those until 18 because your moods, and such are still "moody" from being a teenager, you havent matured as much and its harder to tell if its a disorder or normal teenage b.s.