Personality disorders are thought to originate during childhood but many health professionals are reluctant to diagnose children. Why is this?

Question

I need to know the positives and negatives of early diagnosis of personality disorders in children.

Can someone please help me out? Thanks

Answer 1

<<I usually think of people with persnality disorders as egocentric and manipulative. Now, if that does not describe a child, I don't know what does. Children don't develop a social perspective, the perspective of the "other " until adolecence, and that is when it BEGINS to develop. The frontal cortex, the part of the brain used to make decisions and strategies, particularly social strategies, do not finish developing until the early twenties. For those reasons, I am hesitant to diagnose a child or even an adolescent with a personality disorder until they are an adult, beause by then they should start using more advanced methods and show understanding of how they affect other people and be able to stand support themselves emotionally and show empathy,something people with personality disorders do not do. If children show signs of personality disorders before that, such as hurting other people without showing remorse, torturing animals, or lighting fires and showing no respect for other peole and other's property, they are usually given diagnoses of Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, diagnoses not given to adults>>http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110425103219AAAV3VB

Answer 2

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/personality-disorders/DS00562/DSECTION=risk-factors

http://www.bpddemystified.com/what-is-bpd/borderline-disorder-in-children/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2538733/

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Personality-Disorders-and-Psychopathy.htm

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/P/personality-disorders/