Values

PDAN values compassion.
People with personality disorders have often been ignored, mistreated, and judged. We understand the complexity of personality disorders and realize that they often develop as coping responses to toxic environments, as a result of heredity and environment, or the combination of both.

PDAN values pragmatism.
The term, personality disorder, has a pejorative connotation. Indeed, the very word “person” is in the label. Valid debates ensue about the term. Such are the regrettable limitations of language. However, we believe that the term should be used openly and clearly. We believe that hiding the term in euphemisms, or reducing it to specific symptoms, will hinder progress. Although inexact and subjective, we do know enough about BPD and NPD to start doing something. We believe in being pragmatic; we can’t wait until all the data is in and the perfect term is found.

PDAN values inclusivity.
By inclusivity, we mean that an issue like personality disorders is not something left to mental health research and academia. We are a group of various professionals with various experiences. PDAN values the voices of various disciplines and personal experiences. PDAN seeks to create dialogue, discussion, and to build bridges among people, places, and professions to work together in our common cause of prevention.