What is the general role of pharmacotherapy in treating personality disorders?

• A. The primary treatment
• B. Not used at all
• C. It cures PDs
• D. Primarily adjunctive for comorbid symptoms; not a primary treatment

Answer: (D)

Medications in personality disorders are used to support treatment, not to replace it. The enduring patterns that define a personality disorder are best addressed through psychotherapy and structured therapy over time. Drugs are added mainly to treat coexisting symptoms or conditions that often accompany personality disorders—such as depression, anxiety, mood instability, impulsivity, or aggression—to make therapy more effective and to improve daily functioning. For example, antidepressants or mood stabilizers may help with depressive or mood-iness symptoms, while antipsychotics can ease severe agitation or transient psychotic-like features during stress. But medications do not cure the personality disorder itself and are not used as the sole or primary treatment.