10 Things That Used To Be Considered A Personality Trait But Are Now Labeled A Mental Illness
Before you go chalking someone's behavior up to their quirky personality, you may want to consider if something deeper is going on.
Bricolage | Shutterstock.com Many people in older generations grew up believing any form of mental illness was a sign of weakness — something that not only shouldn’t be talked about, but should be collectively ignored. Certain behaviors we now recognize as symptoms of specific conditions used to be written off as personality traits, but now that we see things differently, they are labeled signs of mental illness instead.
According to clinical psychologist and professor Thomas A. Widiger, Ph.D., "Personality is the characteristic manner in which one thinks, feels, behaves, and relates to others. Mental disorders are clinically significant impairments in one or more areas of psychological functioning." Recognizing these characteristics as actual symptoms can hopefully help to reduce the stigma many people still associate with mental health issues to this day, making it more likely people will seek and receive treatment and live a better quality life overall.
These are 10 things that used to be considered a personality trait but are now labeled a mental illness
1. Difficulty managing time
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Experts from Oaks Integrated Care suggest that many generations, like baby boomers or the silent generation, grew up in a period of time when discussing mental health, seeking support, or acknowledging personal mental health struggles was seen as a sign of weakness. Rather than acknowledging resources or discussions that could improve their quality of life, they demonized diagnoses and subconsciously learned to characterize mental health symptoms as personality traits to avoid stigma and judgment.
There are a number of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young adults that were previously deemed personality traits — including difficult managing time, hyperactivity or struggles sitting still, difficult concentrating and mediating distractions, and irritability.
Not everyone who struggles to focus or finds concentrating in conversations difficult has ADHD, but many people with this mental health disorder struggle on a daily basis with these symptoms, often to the extent that it negatively affects their daily lives, relationships, and productivity. The confusion between true personality traits and symptoms of mental disorders is part of the reason why so many adults struggling with ADHD today go consistently undiagnosed.
2. Persistent sadness
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Whether it was social isolation, physical fatigue, persistent sadness, hopelessness, or irritability — just a few of the symptoms experts now characterize as hallmarks of a diagnosis of major depressive disorder — it’s clear that many of the mental health struggles people are openly discussing today are not new. While it’s normal to experience periods of negative emotions in your daily life that pass over time, for people with depression, these feelings last for much longer, often affecting their daily lives in a persistent and severe way.
It’s important to recognize that even in today’s world, where mental health stigma is being directly addressed and discussed more regularly, many people struggling with mental illnesses like depression don’t feel comfortable or supported enough to seek the help they need to thrive.
According to a study published in Cureus, nearly 32% of respondents without a formal diagnosis struggled on a daily basis with moderate to severe symptoms of depression. The intent of research like this study is not to prove that everyone suffers from “a bit of depression” or sadness, like many people in older generations like to say as a way of dismissing the gravity of the condition, but rather to explain how many people are simply enduring mental illness without support or recognition.
3. Nervousness
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Anxiety disorders are often characterized by persistent nervousness, chronic stress, fatigue, and physical symptoms like an increased heart rate, trembling, or sweating. A few decades ago, a person feeling debilitated by nervousness or anxiety attacks may have suffered in silence, being told it was simply a facet of their personality rather than a treatable symptom of an illness.
Just like any other physical symptom that people confidently and comfortably talk about today, symptoms of anxiety can be due to other causes. Not everyone with a headache is battling cancer, but acknowledging it as a potential symptom can help people to catch threatening diagnoses before they transform into larger, more consuming struggles.
Anxiety disorders are believed to be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental factors that modern day experiences like social media, the pandemic, and sociopolitical tensions seem to be making worse. But, when we overcome stigma and discomfort around mental health resources like therapy, medication, or even simple discussions about emotional and mental well-being, everyone benefits.
Whether an individual has a mental health disorder or not, comfortable access to these resources heighten everyone’s quality of life, assisting people in making healthier social connections, embracing change, being more productive at work, and coping more effectively with experiences like grief and loss from a healthier baseline.
4. Paranoia
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The Cleveland Clinic explained that the difference between casual suspicion or mistrust and paranoia is characterized by a long-term pattern of mistrust without any justifiable reason.
A few decades ago, intense suspicion or feeling chronically mistrusting of others would have been simply seen as personality traits that could be overcome by discipline. Now, experts recognize it can be a hallmark of a mental health conditions like Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) that can sabotage individuals’ relationships and general well-being.
Like many of the other things that used to be considered a personality trait but are now labeled a mental illness, the percentage of the population that suffers from PPD is slim — just around 4%, according to Walden University — yet it’s still important to recognize the stigma that continues to live on in the diagnosis process, when seeking help, and in discussions of the illness.
5. Impulsivity or recklessness
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Impulsivity can be a symptom of a wide variety of mental health issues, including ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), kleptomania, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, and borderline personality disorder (BPD).
In particular, many people struggling with BPD today still face the stigmatized ideas and stereotypes around their diagnosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, BPD can manifest in a number of ways, depending on the individual, but the disorder is largely characterized by symptoms like consistent severe mood swings, fears of abandonment, impulsivity, emotional instability, quick changes in self-esteem, and feelings of emptiness.
A few decades ago, a person with BPD was likely deemed irrational or difficult at the expense of their personal relationships, professional lives, and general well-being, when in reality, they were simply grappling with a true mental health condition.
When we ignore the causes and symptoms of mental illnesses like BPD, we not only stigmatize helpful resources like therapy or appropriate medications, we also encourage people with these disorders to feel shame, guilt, and insecurity about their illness, rather than empowered to seek helpful resources or support.
6. Excessive cleanliness
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According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been coined "the invisible disorder," as it’s characterized by personal struggles of fear, uncertainty, compulsion, and anxiety that are nearly impossible to recognize from the outside like a physical disorder may be.
There are many different forms of OCD that can manifest in a variety of ways, one of which is the commonly discussed “contamination OCD,” believed to be caused by a number of unknown genetic, environmental, and neurochemical factors that lead a person to fear contamination, adopt intrusive thoughts about cleanliness, and isolate themselves from anxiety-inducing environments.
Much of the stigma that previously encouraged people to paint the obsessive cleanliness behaviors or anxiety associated with OCD as personality traits lives on today. There’s even slang use of the label “OCD” that people without the illness regularly use to describe what for them is just a passing tendancy.
7. Excessive drinking
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Substance abuse disorders are still incredibly stigmatized and misunderstood in today’s world. Despite what previous generations may believe about substance use, this disorder isn’t simply a myriad of personality traits like lacking self-control, but rather caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors that are difficult, if not impossible, to completely counteract, mediate, or heal from without support.
According to experts from the Cleveland Clinic, genetic susceptibility, other mental health disorders, adverse childhood experiences, and environmental factors like accessibility to substances can all be risk factors for substance abuse disorders, but the main theme they suggest is that their suffering is not simply a choice or personality trait.
Like depressive or anxiety disorder symptoms, these things that used to be considered a personality trait but are now labeled a mental illness are not new — they’ve always been around. The only differences between today and a few decades ago is that now we have the knowledge to diagnose, the resources to support people, and an awareness of people’s unique experiences.
By acknowledging mental health disorders and unlearning stigmas, we can address the root causes of these illnesses and protect people from being further burdened by feelings of shame or guilt.
8. Refusing demands
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One of the things that used to be considered a personality trait but are now labeled a mental illness is inherent stubbornness and a refusal of demands. Most commonly associated with the autism spectrum today, pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a pattern of behavior, according to experts from the Child Mind Institute, where people go to extreme lengths to avoid or resist anything they perceive to be a demand.
Even in their daily lives, like in the classroom or at work, this resistance is often still characterized as a personality trait — like being mistrusting of authority figures or stubborn — despite being a side effect of internal rigid thinking processes or sensory issues.
By simply categorizing the behaviors associated with mental illnesses or disorders as personality traits, we collectively put people dealing with them at a disadvantage. Not only are they cut off from seeking support and resources to mediate their struggles, they must to bear a burden of personal responsibility for their struggles, when in reality, their experience is to no fault of their own.
9. Perfectionism
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Like many of the other symptoms of mental health issues that people misguidedly used to consider personality traits, perfectionism can be healthy in small doses. According to experts from Psychology Today, fleeting moments of perfectionism can be motivating and energizing, encouraging people to pursue their goals, hold themselves accountable, and overcome adversity.
However, when perfectionism becomes a driving mentality in a person’s life, it can be a sign of a lingering or deep-rooted mental disorder like anxiety, depression, or OCD. According to a study published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases, perfectionist behaviors can be both a cause and symptom of mental disorders.
For example, a person who holds themselves to unrealistic standards may consistently face disappointment from falling short on their goals, sparking self-doubt, uncertainty, and anxiety that feeds into an already existing or developmental mental health disorder. However, mental disorders like OCD can manifest as perfectionism, leading people to engage in repetitive compulsive behaviors aimed at seeking perfection or success in their lives.
10. Apathy
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Apathy — or a general disinterest, disengagement, or lack of emotional expression — can be a personality trait in certain individuals, largely caused by trauma, past experiences, or stress, but it can also be one of the signs of a mental illness like depression or anxiety in certain individuals.
According to experts from the Mayo Clinic, apathy or emotional detachment can also be a subtle sign of schizoid personality disorder, which tends to be relatively rare, yet fundamentally under-discussed and stigmatized, even today. People with this personality disorder tend to struggle with showing their full range of emotions, sabotaging their personal relationships, emotional regulation behaviors, and well-being.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.