Hi All
Well you are right in that the two diagnoses/labels are seen as diagnostically different. But actually they have overlaps in that a person with a personality disorder can suffer 'difficulties with thinking' and 'odd ideas 'and hallucinations according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, as can those with various forms of Psychosis and those with Psychosis can have behavior that is like those with PD .
Also those with other illnesses such as Bi -polar, depression etc can have psychotic 'episodes' or episodes of personality disordered thinking.
So as with any mental health diagnosis none of it is cut and dried.
But the term psychopath or psychopathy is seldom used now - and I do not think it in the DSM as a current diagnosis?? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy
It might be but if so the true Psychopath is thought to be very rare indeed!
As the term psychopath had so many 'wrong' and very damaging connotations for those who were thought to suffer it.
So it is now usually referred to a
Personality disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder and if the person has done specifically anti social acts - which is rare - Antisocial Personality Disorder .
And theses names are confusing in themselves as Borderline Personality Disorder is not a milder form of Personality disorder but a different diagnosis altogether but with similar manifestations/symptoms.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorderIt was initially a term used to define those thought to be on the borderline between psychosis and Psychopathy but this is not thought to be the case now and the term is being reviewed:
www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+borderline+personality+disorder.htmMy very lay person understanding is:
People with PD or BPD are actually no more likely to be violent than someone who is suffering Psychosis, as violence does happen in a very small section of those suffering from either and even that is more commonly towards themselves than anyone else.
It does happen however rarely but it is theses act of violence that hits the media and the public are told about not the literally thousands of people that are diagnosed to have BPD, PD or psychosis of some sort every year, who have never and would never harm anyone .
But as said the conditions if they do in fact exist beyond a convenient labels to put on people suffering mental distress in order to facilitate treatment of their distress - are different.
Psychosis is normally defined by a degree of losing touch with reality - not being able to distinguish between what is real and what is generated by your own mind - one well known and the most common psychosis is Schizophrenia.
But there are many other forms some specifically related to depression i.e depressive psychosis, and Post natal distress Puerperal psychosis as well as paranoid psychosis etc.
It usually involves a degree of disordered, disjointed or perhaps disorganized thinking and usually involves a lack of awareness or reality and what is real or caused by your own mind. And of course with certain conditions such as schizophrenia or even severe depressive psychosis people can hallucinate and hear and see things that are not there and have thoughts that other people do not share :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosis.
www.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/early_intervention/understanding_psychosis/what_is.html
Personality disorder is a lot harder to define:www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/personalitydisorders/pd.aspxwww.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/mental_illnesses_and_disorders/personality_disorders/index.htmlen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorder - as its diagnosis is very subjective and often just the opinion of the medical professional and can be when they fail to find/agree on another label/diagnosis for your distress and/or behavior.
But it is often characterized by 'unhelpful ways of thinking, feeling and behaving - that cause the problems'
and many people with PD or BPD find it hard to hold down jobs or long term relationships and a higher tenancy to suicide and self harm than average - but what is average? - and those with PD - what was once known as psychopathy rarely harm others.
I am just a lay person but I have worked for many years as a youth worker with young people with mental health difficulties so I am well informed
But also I was once at 17 told I suffered from PD or as it was then known psychopathy - a label that seriously and adversely affected my life - and I assure you I do not have this as it is currently defined and in fact I would say that at present I am very mentally well.
I am however an eccentric and do things my own way, but usually for the benefit of myself and others and not harm, and have suffered mental distress for periods of time in my life . One being as a teenager at 17 and the longest being when I had PNI for 5 years when my child was born.
I have never harmed anyone else or in my case have never self harmed and I hold down jobs relationships etc longest period in one job 14 years my marriage has now lasted over 23.
So It is a diagnosis that is very misused.
But I also have little belief now in theses labels as a definitive diagnosis and a label that once you have you always have.
As I now think that mental health is very fluid, that the labels are useful for diagnosis for the symptoms you have at the time, so you can get the right treatment you need at any one time but once you have such a label this is not for life and even with longer term mental distress what you experience can change all the time. But that all menial health labels have overlaps in both your symptoms and treatment.
Anyway I find it is vastly complicated and the more I learn the more I realize their is yet to know Hope I have not confused the subject further / But the fact is it is confusing!
And my hat goes off to anyone who feels they have got their head completely round it all and understand what mental health, or lack of it is!!!
Veritee
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