Barriers to Effective Treatment

Recovery for a personality-disordered individual is not typically an easy road. First and foremost, it requires a strong, stable and sincere commitment from the person seeking recovery - an acknowledgement of the need for change, a willingness to take on the challenges and a determination to see it through.

Some personality-disordered individuals are resistant to treatment.

• Some may resist because they don't want to put in the work of dealing with their illness.
• Others may prefer to stay in a state of denial where a person does not want to believe or admit that they have a problem.
• Some may resist treatment because of the perceived stigma that is sometimes attached to mental illness.

In such cases, it is sometimes common, but rarely effective, for the non-personality-disordered individual to cajole, coerce, threaten or use bargaining or ultimatums to try to force the issue. While there may be short term co-operation in the face of overwhelming pressure, we have found that the initial energy tends to wane after a few months and regress back to its normal state. The result is often energy spent and disillusionment and harboring resentment. Whether we stay in a relationship with a personality-disordered individual or go "No Contact" with them, most of us in the Non community have discovered in the long run that it is far more productive to spend our energy working on ourselves.