By Medicover Hospitals / 20 Feb 2022
Personality Changes
Personality changes typically describe a symptom rather than a specific condition. It refers to alterations in an individual's typical patterns of behaviour, thoughts, and emotions. Personality changes can result from various underlying conditions such as neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, or medical conditions affecting the brain.
A personality change occurs when a person has a drastic change in appearance, actions, opinions, or feelings. It is common for someone to have a gradual transformation in their personality, and it is also common for them to go through a big change in their personality as they become older, particularly in response to success or pain. However, uncontrollable, uncomfortable, damaging, or anxiety-provoking personality changes can be a sign of a deeper problem.
What are Personality Changes?
Personality change refers to a change in the way you think, act, or feel. It may only be noticeable to you or people close to you.
Gradual personality changes can be normal with age. It's also common for your behaviour or emotions to fluctuate based on how you're feeling, although these shifts are usually brief and related to a particular experience. A sudden, unwanted, or uncontrollable change in your personality can be a sign of serious illness.
Personality changes can result from a number of mental diseases. These consist of schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, dementia, and borderline personality disorder. In the case of mental illness, personality changes can be the result of an interplay of factors, including heredity, environment, and stress. These types of changes usually appear before the teenage years. It is believed that most mental illnesses result from imbalances in chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters) and are treated with medication and psychotherapy.
Infections or brain injury can also cause abrupt personality changes or narcissist change. Among the many potential causes of brain damage include trauma, stroke, infection, and inflammation.
Seek immediate medical attention for symptoms of acute brain damage, including confusion or even brief loss of consciousness on one side of the body or eye pain. It is also suggested to seek immediate medical attention for psychotic symptoms such as seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations) or behaviours that endanger yourself or others, including threatening irrational behaviour. or suicidal.
Causes of Personality Changes
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Traumatic Brain Injury can lead to personality changes due to physical damage to the brain.
- Bleeding in the brain: This can occur as a result of the spontaneous rupture of a blood vessel.
- Loss of oxygen in the brain: This can be due to drowning, heart attack, carbon monoxide poisoning, or other forms of suffocation. The damage occurs after a few minutes and will be evident once the person is conscious again.
- Diabetes side effects or blood sugar problems: Insufficient blood sugar, often in people with diabetes, robs the brain of energy.
- Infections: Viral and bacterial infections of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) can cause serious damage to these tissues.
- Unconscious: Sometimes, after a hard blow to the head, behaviour and personality change, especially if you pass out.
A Progressive Disease Affecting the Brain
Diseases that gradually affect the brain can cause personality changes of varying severity and onset.
- Neurological diseases: Most of them are genetic. These are known to produce profound personality changes due to their powerful effect on the brain.
- Ageing and Illness: The gradual loss of brain function due to ageing, combined with unknown factors, can sometimes lead to severe disability.
Psychiatric Illnesses
Despite the complexity of these illnesses, clinicians can typically diagnose them after consulting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. These diseases can lead to disturbing or inexplicable behaviors due to chemical imbalances in the brain. Behavior changes can also result, affecting sleep patterns, food cravings or appetite, as well as sexual behavior in addition to mood.
Normal Aging
Normal ageing can cause irritability, anger, and frustration due to:
- Hearing loss
- Loss of vision
- Loss of mobility
- Chronic pain
Rare and Unusual Causes
A brain tumour can cause the loss of some functions due to crowding and displacement of tissues, but personality change does not always occur.
Diagnosis of Personality Changes
If you've been through a personality change, talk to your healthcare professional. Make sure to note:
- When the personality change started
- What time of day you experience it
- What triggers it
- If this happens after taking prescription medicine (bring the medicine with you)
- If you take drugs
- If you drink alcohol
- If you have a history of mental health problems
- If your family has a history of mental health problems
- Any other symptoms you may be experiencing
- If you have any underlying medical conditions
The answers to these questions will be extremely helpful to your healthcare professional
They will help you diagnose the cause of your unusual behaviour. They will also help your healthcare professional determine if this is a mental health problem or a medical problem.
They can choose to order tests.
Tests may include a complete blood count, a glucose level test, a hormonal profile, and tests for infections
Depending on the circumstances, your healthcare professional may also order imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI.
Your doctor may refer you to a psychological specialist if you don't have any apparent medical concerns.
Treatment of Personality Changes
A personality change caused by a medical condition may improve after the condition is treated. However, in some cases, this will not go away with treatment for the underlying disease.
In this case, your condition may be treated separately with mood-altering drugs, depending on the cause.
If you have a hormonal imbalance, your personality change may subside after taking prescribed medications to balance your hormones. Estrogen replacement, low-dose birth control pills, and progesterone injections are commonly prescribed medications.
Medication and therapies that change mood can be used to address mental health issues. Medication is often prescribed by medical professionals to treat disorders like bipolar disorder, PTSD, panic disorder, and anxiety disorder.
When to visit a Doctor?
People who show warning signs should be seen by a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Law enforcement may need to be called in if people are violent.
People who have no warning signs should see a doctor within a day or two if the change in personality or behaviour is recent. If the change has occurred gradually over a period of time, people should see a doctor as soon as possible, but a delay of about a week is not harmful.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can human personality change?
It has long been believed that people cannot change their personality, which is largely stable and inherited. But a review of recent research in personality science points to the possibility that personality traits may change through persistent intervention and major life events.
2. Does personality change with age?
Personality can change somewhat over time, but not very well. These changes don't seem to be systematically related to thinking skills or other common changes we experience as we age. This suggests that we can keep our individuality as we age. Don't worry about your personality.
3. At what age is your personality fully developed?
By age 30, most people have reached maturity. Who says that? But according to Buss, that doesn't mean the five strokes are completely set in stone. He says that after 30 years, people become less neurotic.
4. What are the 5 main personality traits?
The five major personality traits described by the theory are extraversion, agreeableness, openness, awareness, and neuroticism. Personality trait theories have long tried to determine exactly how many personality traits exist.
5. What causes sudden personality changes?
Sudden personality changes can be caused by various factors, including neurological conditions, traumatic brain injury, certain medications, or underlying mental health disorders. Seeking medical evaluation is crucial for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
6. How do you deal with a personality change?
Dealing with a personality change involves seeking professional help, such as therapy or counseling, to understand the underlying cause and develop coping strategies. Additionally, maintaining open communication with loved ones and practicing self-care can be beneficial.
7. When someone's personality changes drastically?
Drastic personality changes may signal underlying issues such as neurological conditions, trauma, or mental health disorders, requiring professional evaluation and support for understanding and managing the change.
