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I am here for myself

What is a personality disorder?

Personality disorder is a mental illness that makes it hard for a person to  feel comfortable in themselves, causes problems controlling emotions and impulses, and causes problems relating to other people. Personality disorder is a condition of the brain and mind. If someone has personality disorder, it is not their fault, and they did not cause it. For most people, symptoms begin during teenage years.

With the right treatment, most people can recover from their symptoms and lead productive and fulfilling lives. Individuals can have different types of symptoms, but they usually involve difficulties in Affect, Identity and Relationships (AIR). Psychological treatments are designed to help the person take active control of their lives by helping them understand themselves and their sensitivities, reduce the intensity of suffering from their emotions, and improve their relationships with other people.

Project Air supports health services to provide better care and it is the health services that you should approach for any individual assessment and treatment needs. The Project Air model of care has been implemented in many services accross Australia.

Project Air has developed a range of resources to assist you including fact sheets, videos and lived experience stories.

The information we provide on our website is of a general nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances and physical and/or mental status/wellbeing. Specific advice should always be sought from an appropriately qualified professional person.

If you need immediate help or support, please contact your local health services in your local area or your country's crisis services. If you are in Australia, call  Emergency Services (dial 000) or see the services in our service directory.

Feeling distressed or in crisis can be really difficult. Although many people will experience some kind of hardship during their life, it’s easy to feel confused and overwhelmed when you’re going through it.

The Project Air Self Help & Peer Support strategy provides an integrated set of resources to assist consumers living with a personality disorder. 

These resources currently include fact sheets and consumer lived experiences. More resources are currently being developed and will be available in coming months including additional videos, peer support and navigating the mental health guide and the World Wide Web. 

Parenting can be hard when there is a mental illness getting in the way. Symptoms of mental illness need to be managed and discussed with trusted adults and health professionals as part of a treatment plan.

The Project Air Parenting Program provides an integrated set of resources to assist parenting with a personality disorder.

These resources include a Brief Parenting Intervention for mental health workers, fact sheets for people with personality disorder who are also parents and a video illustrating key points.

Project Air have put together a helpful list of Support Services throughout Australia.