Many patients seeking a personality disorder psychologist in Boca Raton do not meet the full diagnostic criteria for a specific personality disorder but carry significant features of one or more personality organizations that affect their functioning and their relationships in meaningful ways. A patient with prominent narcissistic traits who does not meet the threshold for NPD, or one with significant borderline features who does not qualify for the full BPD diagnosis, is still dealing with personality-level patterns that affect how they experience themselves and relate to others. These subclinical presentations are clinically significant and warrant the same quality of clinical attention as a formal diagnosis, even if the treatment approach may differ somewhat in intensity and focus.
Dr. Steinbok's approach to personality features at his Boca Raton practice is not contingent on whether a formal diagnosis is present. The clinical question is whether the patterns a patient is dealing with are personality-level in their nature, meaning stable, pervasive, and connected to how the person characteristically relates to themselves and others, and whether they warrant the depth-oriented treatment that can address them at that level. Patients in Boca Raton who suspect they may have personality disorder features, or who have been told by prior clinicians that something structural may be involved without receiving a formal diagnosis, are encouraged to consult with Dr. Steinbok to understand what is actually present and what the most appropriate treatment approach would be.
