Dr. Ananya Rao
Adult Psychiatry
MD Psychiatry
Leads the inpatient psychiatric team, with a focus on mood and anxiety disorders.
Conditions · Personality disorders
Personality disorders
Personality disorders describe long-standing patterns in how a person experiences emotion, identity and relationships. They are real and distressing, and structured therapy can make a lasting difference.
Borderline PDEmotional dysregulation
What it can look like
Signs of personality disorders
Not everyone experiences every sign, and intensity varies. If several of these sound familiar, an assessment is worth having.
- Intense, rapidly shifting emotions
- Fear of abandonment and unstable relationships
- An unclear or shifting sense of self
- Impulsive or self-harming behaviour
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty trusting or relating to others
Free self-check
Unsure what you are experiencing?
Take a two-minute reflection based on the signs above. It is private, and it is not a diagnosis.
6 short questions
A two-minute check-in on personality disorders
You will see one question at a time. There are no right or wrong answers, and nothing is saved.
Understanding it
Types & presentations of personality disorders
Borderline
Emotional intensity, unstable relationships and fear of abandonment.
Avoidant
Deep sensitivity to criticism with social withdrawal.
Obsessive-compulsive (OCPD)
Rigid perfectionism and need for control.
Narcissistic & antisocial
Patterns involving self-image, entitlement or disregard for others.
The Sakura approach
How we treat personality disorders
Every plan is individual, but care generally moves through these stages.
- 01
Careful diagnosis
Taking time to separate personality patterns from mood, trauma or substance effects.
- 02
DBT-informed skills
Distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
- 03
Consistent therapeutic relationship
A stable team and predictable structure.
- 04
Crisis & safety plan
Agreed steps for the hardest moments, shared with those who support you.
Care pathways
Pathways for personality disorders
Skills-based therapy delivered consistently over time, with extra support when distress peaks.
Emotional dysregulation and relationship difficulties
DBT-informed skills programme
Weekly individual therapy and skills groups teaching distress tolerance and emotion regulation.
DBT-informed skills give practical alternatives to the behaviours that cause harm — how to ride out an urge, name an emotion and communicate needs without conflict.
- Individual therapy and skills group
- Diary-card tracking of urges and triggers
- Between-session coaching plan
- Family guidance in validation
People with intense emotions, unstable relationships, self-harm urges or impulsive behaviour.
Fewer crises, less self-harm and more stable relationships, built through steady practice over months.
Crisis, self-harm risk or co-occurring conditions
Intensive stabilisation
Short-term residential or day-programme care to bring safety, then step back down to skills therapy.
In crisis, safety comes first. Short-term intensive care contains risk, treats co-occurring conditions and prepares a smooth return to skills therapy.
- Risk assessment and a written crisis plan
- Short-term inpatient or day-programme care
- Treatment of co-occurring depression or addiction
- Planned step-down to skills therapy
People at risk of self-harm, in acute distress, or with depression or addiction complicating care.
Restored safety and stability, with a clear step-down plan back to community support.
Helping yourself between sessions
- Practise one DBT skill daily — TIPP, paced breathing, opposite action
- Pause before reacting; name the emotion first
- Keep a simple diary of triggers and urges
- Use your crisis plan early rather than late
If you are supporting someone you love
- Validate feelings without agreeing to every demand
- Stay consistent with boundaries
- Avoid arguing in the middle of an emotional peak
- Encourage ongoing therapy
Where care happens
Choose the level of care that fits
Meet the specialists
The clinicians who will look after you
A named psychiatrist and therapist from day one.
Questions answered
Your questions about personality disorders
Straight answers to what people and families ask us most.
Our care team is happy to talk it through — no obligation.
Yes. Therapies such as DBT have strong evidence, and many people improve substantially over time.
Traits are part of who you are, but the painful patterns are learnable and changeable.
There is no medication for personality disorder itself, but coexisting depression, anxiety or mood instability can be treated.
Usually many months. Progress tends to be gradual and cumulative.
By learning validating communication and boundaries — we offer family sessions for this.
When to seek help
If self-harm, intense mood swings or relationship crises are repeating, a structured treatment plan can help.
In an emergency or if you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital. In India, the Tele MANAS helpline is 1-800-891-4416.