What is the toughest mental illness to treat?

Asked by: Marie Thiel  |  Last update: July 25, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (5 votes)

Borderline personality disorder historically has been viewed as challenging to treat.

What mental illness makes you not take responsibility for your actions?

It's common for people diagnosed with ASPD to show a lack of respect toward others, break the law, ignore the consequences of their actions or refuse to take responsibility.

What is the most complex mental disorder?

Schizophrenia. Scientific evidence shows that people suffering from schizophrenia also experience depression (50%), substance abuse (47%), PTSD (29%), obsessive compulsive disorder (23%), and panic disorder (15%).

What is the most excruciating mental illness?

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

What is the most difficult personality disorder to treat?

But antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult types of personality disorders to treat. A person with antisocial personality disorder may also be reluctant to seek treatment and may only start therapy when ordered to do so by a court.

What is the most difficult mental health disorder to treat?

15 related questions found

What is the most crippling mental illness?

Despite 50 years of pharmacological and psychosocial intervention, schizophrenia remains one of the top causes of disability in the world [2].

What does a BPD meltdown look like?

BPD Meltdown

These episodes involve intense emotional reactions that can be triggered by stress, rejection, or perceived abandonment. During a meltdown, people may experience extreme mood swings, impulsivity, and difficulty calming down.

What is the deadliest mental health?

Eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa) are associated with high premature mortality and are generally considered to be among the most lethal of all psychiatric disorders (1).

What is the #1 diagnosed personality disorder?

The most commonly diagnosed personality disorders are borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

What is the BPD stare?

One of the lesser-known symptoms of BPD is the "stare," a piercing and intense gaze that can be unsettling for others. While the stare is not a diagnostic criterion for BPD, it is often reported by people with BPD and can be a sign of emotional dysregulation.

What mental illness is the hardest to live with?

One of the Most Painful Mental Illnesses: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder Pain. Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.

What is the #1 most diagnosed mental disorder?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): One of the most common mental disorders, GAD is characterized by excessive worry about issues and situations that individuals experience every day. Any worrying that is out of proportion to the reality of the situation may fall under this disorder.

What is the most aggressive mental disorder?

Intermittent explosive disorder involves repeated, sudden bouts of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior or angry verbal outbursts. The reactions are too extreme for the situation. Road rage, domestic abuse, throwing or breaking objects, or other temper tantrums may be symptoms of intermittent explosive disorder.

What personality disorder is extremely controlling?

Controlling behaviors can also be a symptom of several personality disorders, such as histrionic personality, borderline personality, and narcissistic personality. These disorders can only be diagnosed by a licensed health care professional.

What mental illnesses cause self neglect?

Self-neglect can be a result of:
  • a person's brain injury, dementia or other mental disorder.
  • obsessive compulsive disorder or hoarding disorder.
  • physical illness which has an effect on abilities, energy levels, attention span, organisational skills or motivation.
  • reduced motivation as a side effect of medication.
  • addictions.

What mental illness causes poor decision making?

For some people suffering from illnesses such as schizophrenia and substance use disorder – previously referred to as “substance abuse” – making the right choices can be extremely difficult.

What is the rarest personality disorder?

Histrionic personality disorder is relatively rare. Researchers estimate that about 1% of people have the condition.

What not to do to someone with BPD?

Don't…
  1. Make threats and ultimatums that you can't carry out. As is human nature, your loved one will inevitably test the limits you set. ...
  2. Tolerate abusive behavior. No one should have to put up with verbal abuse or physical violence. ...
  3. Enable the person with BPD by protecting them from the consequences of their actions.

What personality disorder is compulsive talking?

3. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD): This personality disorder can manifest with obsessive self-interest and talk. Unlike mood or anxiety disorders, a person with NPD will often be entirely unaware that they have any problem.

What is the most brutal mental illness?

If you think depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder are the mental illnesses most commonly linked to an early death, you're wrong. Eating disorders—including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating— are the most lethal mental health conditions, according to research in Current Psychiatry Reports.

What personality type is most likely to have an eating disorder?

Among individuals with eating disorders, the two most prevalent personality disorders appear to be obsessive compulsive personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, restricting type) and borderline personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, binge-eating purging type; bulimia nervosa).

What's the most painful mental illness?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has long been believed to be a disorder that produces the most intense emotional pain and distress in those who have this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony.

What are BPD eyes?

Dissociation and Emotional Dysregulation in BPD

This might manifest as a "glazed-over" or "empty" look in their eyes, hence the term "empty eyes." This phenomenon is also associated with depersonalization or derealization, where individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings.

Why do BPD get so angry?

A person with BPD is highly sensitive to abandonment and being alone, which brings about intense feelings of anger, fear, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and very impulsive decisions. When something happens in a relationship that makes them feel abandoned, criticized, or rejected, their symptoms are expressed.

Do people with BPD ever forgive?

For example, recovered patients with BPD had scores over time that were around three times higher than those of non-recovered patients with BPD for accepting of the past (2.82), been able to forgive others (3.04), and been able to forgive myself (3.01).