is there a difference between mental disorder and character disorder?

Question

are there any similarities?

Answer 1

Very good question. Yes, there is. A mental disorder would have to be treated medically and/or through therapy. A character disorder can be corrected through behavior therapy, and is more of an annoying trait that one has picked up and learned, and can be "untaught" whereas a mental disorder would be something physiological that one would be born with or otherwise predisposed to.

Answer 2

I am not sure what a character disorder is. Do you mean personality disorder? A personality disorder is a mental disorder as defined in the DSM-IV-TR. If you mean a character flaw, then no they are not the same.

Answer 3

in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Revised (called the DSM IV-R)...character disorders are referred to as personality disorders....and are classified as mental disorder....although generally they are considered to be chronic (staying the same over time)....and they can't be treated with medication (depression, anxiety, psychosis can be treated with medication)...an example would be antisocial personality disorder...what some people refer to as psychopaths or sociopaths....people who don't feel guilt.

Most insurance companies won't pay for the treatment of a character or personality disorder...as such disorders don't respond to treatment...although some people can learn about their disorder and some learn to manage it and even make improvements over time. Many character disorders can get better with age and maturity...unfortunatly ...people with character disorders may be more inclined to abuse alcohol, drugs, or have other addictions...and this can impede them from maturing and getting better.

Answer 4

A mental disorder you address with medicine to control or correct. A character disorder you address by looking in the mirror and asking who are you and where are you headed.

Answer 5

absolutely. All psychiatric disorders recognized by science are diagnosable via the Diagnostic Statistical Manual. Flaws of character include things like laziness, unethical behavior, narcissism, and those sorts of things....more like negative attributes than actual disorders.