Which treatments can help people with personality disorders improve their relationships and coping skills?

Treatment for personality disorders, including narcissistic personality disorder, focuses on helping individuals recognize maladaptive patterns, improve interpersonal functioning, and develop more effective coping strategies rather than fundamentally altering their personality.1

Primary Therapeutic Approaches

Psychotherapy is the primary treatment for most personality disorders. Several evidence-based approaches have demonstrated benefits:12

• Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): Helps individuals develop healthier ways of thinking and managing emotions.2
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, this therapy emphasizes the acceptance of feelings and behaviors while simultaneously working to change them. It teaches essential skills in mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and stress tolerance.3
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Focuses on underlying psychological processes and past experiences to foster change.12
• Schema Therapy and Mentalization-Based Therapy: These specialized approaches are also utilized to address specific symptoms and behavioral patterns.1

Supportive Measures

While there is no medication that directly treats personality disorders, physicians may prescribe drugs to help manage associated symptoms such as anxiety, depression, mood instability, or impulsivity. Treatment often requires a commitment of months or years, but many individuals experience significant improvements in their relationships and overall functioning through these combined efforts.12