May 10 2007
For better or worse, people have certain personality traits - they can be outgoing, shy, demanding, boisterous, guarded and the list goes on.
Past adolescence, personality traits usually don't change much throughout adulthood.
But in older adults, personality problems can suddenly emerge due to a difficult challenge, a life change or a medical or psychological problem. Family members or friends can encourage steps to find the root cause of the sudden personality problem. It's often the first step toward trying to regain balance.
The May issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers ideas that may help when a person's personality change interferes with work, relationships or the ability to enjoy life:
A medical or psychological exam: A sudden personality change may indicate a medical problem that may improve with treatment. If there is no effective treatment, knowing that someone has a particular disease or condition causing personality change makes it easier to understand the situation.
Finding substitutes for what's lost: Retirement, the death of a spouse or other major life changes can trigger personality changes. Adapting to changes that come with age is a key to maintaining a balanced personality. Finding new ways to use skills that are appropriate for one's life stage may help fill some of the void of physical or social loss.
Changing a behavior: Asking a loved one to work on changing a behavior or two may help the person function better, and make the person more tolerable to be around.
Refusing to play along: At some point, family members and friends may need to decide they won't tolerate negative personality traits. Open and direct communication is a first step toward giving others an idea of how their personality style affects others.
Looking inward: Whose personality has changed? When a spouse has tolerated her husband's personality traits for years and suddenly can't take it any more, it could be the wife, not the husband who is experiencing personality changes.
Therapy: Group therapy is often the treatment of choice for those with personality problems. Group members may gain insight into their behaviors and learn healthier ways to reacting to people or problems. However, many people with troublesome personality styles don't see themselves as having a problem. Getting them to attend a therapy session may be difficult. It's unlikely that an uncooperative person will benefit.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/