10 Surprising Character Traits That Are Actually Mental Illnesses
5Self-reproach
People who suffer from self-reproach try to hide from their problems. This is called an avoidant personality disorder. In small doses, self-criticism can help us develop. However, in extreme amounts, it can be harmful to us.
Some symptoms are:
- Resenting criticisms or disapproval.
- The desire to avoid communicating with new people.
- Lack of communication with people for fear of saying something wrong.
- Exaggerating risks, difficulties, and hazards when assigned to a task.
- In advanced cases, panic attacks, sleep disorders, and even depression may feature.
How to deal with it
An exercise that can help is to list all the predictions for an action you might undertake. The perform the action and come back and write the result. For instance, if you predict that the next time you go to the store in the evening you will get robbed, which is possible but highly rare, go to the store in the evening and after you return safely, write it down beside the prediction. The next time you have doubts or negative predictions just refer to this. Learning to get over scary predictions will help greatly.
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6Suspiciousness
Everyone is paranoid about something r the other at some point in time. But some people take this too far. They begin hacking into their partner’s social media accounts and phones, eavesdrop on conversations and even spy on people. This means they are suffering from a paranoid personality disorder.
The symptoms are as follows:
- Unnecessary suspicion and distrust on their spouse.
- Looking at everyone around you as if they are guilty of something.
- Lack of a sense of humor and failure to notice funny things in daily life.
- Adding meanings to actions of people to suit you. For instance, you may think that your neighbor got a dog just to irritate you.
How to deal with it
A helpful exercise, in this case, is to make a list of friends, family, and acquaintances and put a plus sign beside their name every time they meet your expectations. For instance, you may think that your partner will forget your birthday but if he or she remembers it and does something special, put a plus sign beside their name. The next time you feel distrust, just look at the number of plus signs and you will feel reassured.
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7Dependence
All human beings depend on friends and family- that’s what they’re there for. However, excessive dependence is considered to be a dependent personality disorder. The main marker of this disorder is that, one is so dependent on people, that they are unable to make even simple everyday decisions without approval from a person of authority.
The symptoms associated with this disorder are:
- Not expressing any problems one might have with their surroundings.
- Feeling uncomfortable when alone and a constant need to stay busy to prevent feeling alone.
- Agreeing to do something unpleasant just to please someone.
- Obsessive thoughts about being betrayed by friends and family.
The best way to counter this disorder is to praise yourself every time you do something right. Instead of seeking approval, gather evidence of your competence.
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