I have ASPD and used to have many NPD traits. I've never received any real treatment as most therapists are too busy insisting that I don't "really" have ASPD and that I'm just a bad case of PTSD. That attitude is utter lunacy, but I've given up trying to reason with any kind of "professional" who's far more concerned about preserving their worldview than accepting that not everyone is going to fit their model of "someone who needs therapy".

Lately I demanded to get psychological testing done just to prove a point, I asked specifically to be tested for PTSD. Those tests all came up negative. My point is this: traumatic events do not define who you are and "trauma" is never and I do mean never the sole reason someone develops a personality disorder, and I am sick of therapists focusing so much on someone's alleged crappy childhood rather than helping them deal with their present problems.

I would love to get some practical advice on how to stop getting into the same kinds of trouble over and over again to name one example of a recurrent problem I have associated with my ASPD. But I have asked for practical advice, solutions, etc to this problem among others and I have received less than nothing and I was told that I needed to focus on my terrible childhood which is supposedly the root source of all my "evil". I am not joking, this is the message I have been given both directly and otherwise anytime I've acknowledged that hey, maybe I can use an outside opinion to my advantage!

People say ASPD and NPD sufferers don't ask for help, and well, I can certainly see why. These so called "professionals" are a joke.

Any and all progress I've made in improving myself and my life, I've done it all on my own. I had no other choice. Having outside perspectives would be amazing sometimes, but I've had to accept that in all likelihood I will never get that.

The most useful advice I've gotten is from other people with PD's.

I have plenty of ideas for what would be helpful for PD sufferers, but that would turn into an even longer post so I won't get on that soapbox today.


ETA: All the mental health professionals I've seen seem to be far more concerned with what label my problems fall under than actually looking at my problems and helping me solve them. For an analogy of this phenomenon think of it this way: it would be like United States leaders debating endlessly on whether or not hurricane Matthew is a "real" hurricane, and instead insisting it must be a tropical storm or a tropical depression or well they shouldn't call it Matthew that's such a bad name blah blah blah instead of focusing on relief efforts to the people who have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer because of the storm.