Mental health professionals use the term "personality disorders" to refer to personality traits that are extreme or that create so much difficulty in life as to be considered disabling. Personality disorders are more severe than the negative personality traits that we all show at various times throughout our lives, or the "problem" people that we sometimes have to deal with at work. Personality disorders are medically defined as long-term, pervasive, inflexible patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are not well adapted or do not fit within the range of behavior considered normal. These patterns lead to significant difficulties in the ability to reason or interact with others or to behave appropriately.

The following are questions you can ask your health care provider concerning personality disorders:

1. Explain how changes in an individual's environment can influence a personality disorder coming to light.
2. Are personality disorders different in older people than in younger people? If so, how?
3. What can cause a personality disorder?
4. What is the best way to diagnosis a personality disorder?
5. How can a personality disorder be treated?
6. What is a somatoform disorder?
7. When does Mother's over utilization of medical care become a somatization disorder?
8. How do you recognize somatoform disorders?
9. Is there effective treatment for somatoform disorder?
10. When can major changes in personality signal the start of a dementia or other brain disease?