Psychotherapy, more specifically, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is the most widely used form of treatment for Somatic symptom disorder. In 2016, a randomized 12-week study suggested steady and significant improvement in health anxiety measures with cognitive behavioral therapy compared to the control group.

CBT can help in some of the following ways:

- Learn to reduce stress

- Learn to cope with physical symptoms

- Learn to deal with depression and other psychological issues

- Improve quality of life

- Reduce preoccupation with symptom

Moreover, brief psychodynamic interpersonal psychotherapy (PIT) for patients with multisomatoform disorder has shown its long-term efficacy for improving the physical quality of life in patients with multiple, difficult-to-treat, medically unexplained symptoms.

Antidepressant medication has also been used to treat some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety that are common among people who have somatic symptom disorder. Medications will not cure somatic symptom disorder, but can help the treatment process when combined with CBT.

It is possible for this disorder to progress over time. A patient suffering from the disorder can improve the condition with treatments. There are several types of therapies that may improve the condition, but depending on a patient’s experience of the disorder or the cause of the disorder, treatments will vary.

- Psychotherapy including behaviour therapy, Gestalt therapy, Adlerian therapy, psychoanalytic therapy and existential therapy.

- Pharmacotherapy through medications including antidepressants.

To date, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the best established treatment for a variety of somatoform disorders including somatization disorder. CBT aims to help patients realize their ailments are not catastrophic and to enable them to gradually return to activities they previously engaged in, without fear of "worsening their symptoms". Consultation and collaboration with the primary care physician also demonstrated some effectiveness. The use of antidepressants is preliminary but does not yet show conclusive evidence. Electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) has been used in treating somatization disorder among the elderly; however, the results were still debatable with some concerns around the side effects of using ECT. Overall, psychologists recommend addressing a common difficulty in patients with somatization disorder in the reading of their own emotions. This may be a central feature of treatment; as well as developing a close collaboration between the GP, the patient and the mental health practitioner.

As it has already been mentioned, patients with organic personality disorder show a wide variety of sudden behavioural changes and dysfunctions. There are not a lot of information about the treatment of this mental health disorder. The pharmacological approach is the most common therapy among patients with organic personality disorder. However, the choice of drug therapy relies on the seriousness of patient's situation and what symptoms are shown. The choice and administration of specific drugs contribute to the reduction of symptoms of organic personality disorder. For this reason, it is crucial for patients' treatment to be assessed by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists before the administration of drug.

Additionally, the dysfunctions in expression of behaviour of patients with organic personality disorder and the development of symptom of irritability, which are caused by aggressive and self-injurious behaviours, can be dealt with the administration of carbamazepine. Moreover, the symptoms of this disorder can be decreased by the administration of valproic acid. Also, emotional irritability and signs of depression can be dealt with the use of nortriptyline and low-dose thioridazine. Except from the symptom of irritability, patients express aggressive behaviours. At the onset of drug therapy for effective treatment of anger and aggression, the drug of carbamazepine, phenobarbital, benztropine and haloperidol can be administrated in order to reduce the symptoms of patients with organic personality disorder. In addition, the use of propranolol may decrease the frequent behaviours of rage attacks.

Finally, it is important for patients to take part in psychotherapy sessions during the period of drug therapy. In this way, there is prevention and patients can be protected by negative effects of drugs on their organism and their behaviour. Furthermore, the clinicians can provide useful and helpful support to patients during these psychotherapy sessions. Thus, the combination of drug therapy with psychotherapy can lead to the reduction of symptoms of this disorder and the improvement of patients' situation.

An open study of cognitive behavior therapy has aimed to help patients reinterpret their symptoms in a nonthreatening way, leading to an improvement on several standardized measures. A standardized treatment for DPD based on cognitive behavioral principles was published in The Netherlands in 2011.

STPD is rarely seen as the primary reason for treatment in a clinical setting, but it often occurs as a comorbid finding with other mental disorders. When patients with STPD are prescribed pharmaceuticals, they are most often prescribed the same drugs used to treat patients suffering from schizophrenia including traditional neuroleptics such as haloperidol and thiothixene. In order to decide which type of medication should be used, Paul Markovitz distinguishes two basic groups of schizotypal patients:

- Schizotypal patients who appear to be almost schizophrenic in their beliefs and behaviors (aberrant perceptions and cognitions) are usually treated with low doses of antipsychotic medications, e.g. thiothixene. However, it must be mentioned that long-term efficacy of neuroleptics is doubtful.

- For schizotypal patients who are more obsessive-compulsive in their beliefs and behaviors, SSRIs like Sertraline appear to be more effective.

Lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, appears to be helpful in dealing with social isolation.

Primary depersonalization disorder is mostly refractory to current treatments. The disorder lacks effective treatment in part because it has been neglected within the field of psychiatry, which, in turn, is partly because funding has mainly been allocated to the search for cures of other illnesses, like alcoholism. However, recognizing and diagnosing the condition may in itself have therapeutic benefits, considering many patients express their problems as baffling and unique to them, but are in fact: one, recognized and described by psychiatry; and two, those affected by it are not the only individuals to be affected from the condition. A variety of psychotherapeutic techniques have been used to treat depersonalization disorder, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Clinical pharmacotherapy research continues to explore a number of possible options, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioid antagonists.

Individual approaches to treatment are recommended, usually involving a combination of mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics. Psychotherapy may be beneficial and should be started early.

Appropriate medications are effective for panic disorder. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are first line treatments rather than benzodiazapines due to concerns with the latter regarding tolerance, dependence and abuse. Although there is little evidence that pharmacological interventions can directly alter phobias, few studies have been performed, and medication treatment of panic makes phobia treatment far easier (an example in Europe where only 8% of patients receive appropriate treatment). Medications can include:

- Antidepressants (SSRIs, MAOIs, tricyclic antidepressants and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors): these are taken regularly every day, and alter neurotransmitter configurations which in turn can help to block symptoms. Although these medications are described as "antidepressants", nearly all of them — especially the tricyclic antidepressants — have anti-anxiety properties, in part, due to their sedative effects. SSRIs have been known to exacerbate symptoms in panic disorder patients, especially in the beginning of treatment and have even provoked panic attacks in otherwise healthy individuals. SSRIs are also known to produce withdrawal symptoms which include rebound anxiety and panic attacks. Comorbid depression has been cited as imparting the worst course, leading to chronic, disabling illness.

- Antianxiety agents (benzodiazepines): Use of benzodiazepines for panic disorder is controversial with opinion differing in the medical literature. The American Psychiatric Association states that benzodiazepines can be effective for the treatment of panic disorder and recommends that the choice of whether to use benzodiazepines, antidepressants with anti-panic properties or psychotherapy should be based on the individual patient's history and characteristics. Other experts believe that benzodiazepines are best avoided due to the risks of the development of tolerance and physical dependence. The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, say that benzodiazepines should not be used as a first-line treatment option but are an option for treatment-resistant cases of panic disorder. Despite increasing focus on the use of antidepressants and other agents for the treatment of anxiety as recommended best practice, benzodiazepines have remained a commonly used medication for panic disorder. They reported that in their view there is insufficient evidence to recommend one treatment over another for panic disorder. The APA noted that while benzodiazepines have the advantage of a rapid onset of action, that this is offset by the risk of developing a benzodiazepine dependence. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence came to a different conclusion, they pointed out the problems of using uncontrolled clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and based on placebo-controlled research they concluded that benzodiazepines were not effective in the long-term for panic disorder and recommended that benzodiazepines not be used for longer than 4 weeks for panic disorder. Instead NICE clinical guidelines recommend alternative pharmacotherapeutic or psychotherapeutic interventions.

Treatment of avoidant personality disorder can employ various techniques, such as social skills training, cognitive therapy, and exposure treatment to gradually increase social contacts, group therapy for practicing social skills, and sometimes drug therapy.

A key issue in treatment is gaining and keeping the patient's trust, since people with avoidant personality disorder will often start to avoid treatment sessions if they distrust the therapist or fear rejection. The primary purpose of both individual therapy and social skills group training is for individuals with avoidant personality disorder to begin challenging their exaggerated negative beliefs about themselves.

Significant improvement in the symptoms of personality disorders is possible, with the help of treatment and individual effort.

According to Theodore Millon, the schizotypal is one of the easiest personality disorders to identify but one of the most difficult to treat with psychotherapy. Persons with STPD usually consider themselves to be simply eccentric, productive, or nonconformist. As a rule, they underestimate maladaptiveness of their social isolation and perceptual distortions. It is not so easy to gain rapport with people who suffer from STPD due to the fact that increasing familiarity and intimacy usually increase their level of anxiety and discomfort. In most cases they do not respond to informality and humor.

Group therapy is recommended for persons with STPD only if the group is well structured and supportive. Otherwise, it could lead to loose and tangential ideation. Support is especially important for schizotypal patients with predominant paranoid symptoms, because they will have a lot of difficulties even in highly structured groups.

There are few studies specifically testing psychotherapy for cyclothymia. The following is a list of some common types of therapy. They have different amounts of support for use with bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. If a treatment helps with bipolar disorder, it is a reasonable choice for use with cyclothymia until better evidence becomes available.

- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – Has been found to reduce depression.

- Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

- Interpersonal psychotherapy (IT)

- Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT)

- Group therapy

- Integrative therapy

- Person-centered therapy (PCT)

- Psychodynamic therapy

Despite recent initiatives to study psychopathology along dimensions of behavior and neurobiological indices, which would help refine a clearer picture of the development and treatment of externalizing disorders, the majority of research has examined specific mental disorders. Thus, best practices for many externalizing disorders are disorder-specific. For example, substance use disorders themselves are very heterogeneous and their best-evidenced treatment typically includes cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and a substance disorder-specific detoxification or psychotropic medication treatment component. The best-evidenced treatment for childhood conduct and externalizing problems more broadly, including youth with ADHD, ODD, and CD, is parent management training, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Additionally, individuals with ADHD, both youth and adults, are frequently treated with stimulant medications (or alternative psychotropic medications), especially if psychotherapy alone has not been effective in managing symptoms and impairment. Psychotherapy and medication interventions for individuals with severe, adult forms of antisocial behavior, such as antisocial personality disorder, have been mostly ineffective. An individual's comorbid psychopathology may also influences the course of treatment for an individual.

The use of lithium and quetiapine (Seroquel) have both shown to be particularly valuable, though several other medications of the anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotics classes may also be helpful.

- Lithium – Lithium has been shown to help stabilize the mood of patients suffering from cyclothymia and as well as bipolar disorders. It also aids in the prevention of acute suicidal and manic episodes. Dosage must be carefully monitored as lithium has a plethora of side effects.

- Atypical antipsychotics – (e.g., quetiapine (Seroquel), also olanzapine (Zyprexa), and risperidone (Risperdal).

- Anticonvulsants – (e.g., valproic acid, lamotrigine (Lamictal), and valproate semisodium (Depakote)).

- Electroconvulsive therapy – Through a systematic review done by Versiani, Cheriaux, and Landeira-Fernandez, it was determined that the efficacy and safety of ECT in patients with bipolar disorder had been poorly investigated and the evidence had methodological limitations.

Personality development disorders usually need a complex and multi-dimensional treatment approach (Adam & Breithaupt-Peters, 2010). Since the problems are complex, treatment needs to affect the conditions in all impaired functional and social areas. Both educational and therapeutic methods are helpful and problem and strength based approaches work hand in hand. Parents need to be included as well as the school environment. Treatment methods need to be flexible and adjustable to the individual situation. Even elements of social work can be helpful when supporting the families and in some cases medication might be necessary. When suicidal behaviors or self-injuries are prominent treatment might best be done in a hospital.

For some personality development disorders (e.g. borderline personality disorder) treatment methods from adults can be adapted (e.g. dialectical behavior therapy, Miller et a., 2006).

For some people, anxiety can be greatly reduced by discontinuing the use of caffeine. Anxiety can temporarily increase during caffeine withdrawal.

There are a number of different treatments that are available to treat and manage conversion syndrome. Treatments for conversion syndrome include hypnosis, psychotherapy, physical therapy, stress management, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Treatment plans will consider duration and presentation of symptoms and may include one or multiple of the above treatments. This may include the following:

1. Explanation. This must be clear and coherent as attributing physical symptoms to a psychological cause is not accepted by many educated people in western cultures. It must emphasize the genuineness of the condition, that it is common, potentially reversible and does not mean that the sufferer is psychotic. Taking a neutral-cause-based stance by describing the symptoms as functional may be helpful, but further studies are required. Ideally, the patient should be followed up neurologically for a while to ensure that the diagnosis has been understood.

2. Physiotherapy where appropriate;

3. Occupational Therapy to maintain autonomy in activities of daily living;

4. Treatment of comorbid depression or anxiety if present.

There is little evidence-based treatment of conversion disorder. Other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, EMDR, and psychodynamic psychotherapy, EEG brain biofeedback need further trials. Psychoanalytic treatment may possibly be helpful. However, most studies assessing the efficacy of these treatments are of poor quality and larger, better controlled studies are urgently needed. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most common treatment, however boasts a mere 13% improvement rate.

Treatment of minor depressive disorder has not been studied as extensively as major depressive disorder. Although there are often similarities in the treatments used, there are also differences in what may work better for the treatment of minor depressive disorder. Some third-party payers do not pay to cover treatment for minor depressive disorder.

The leading treatment techniques for minor depressive disorder are the use of antidepressants and therapy. Typically, patients with minor depression were treated by watchful waiting, prescribed antidepressants, and given brief supportive counseling, but Problem-Solving Treatment for Primary Care (PST-PC) is a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy that has gained popularity. In one study, Problem-Solving Treatment for Primary Care (PST-PC) and Paroxetine, an antidepressant, were shown to be equally effective in significantly reducing symptoms. In another study, PST-PC was compared with the more typical care of the time and shown to reduce symptoms more quickly. Although the use of antidepressants has been widely used, not all agree that it is an appropriate treatment for some minor depression disorder settings.

Another alternative that has been researched is the use of St. John's wort ("Hypericum perforatum"). This herbal treatment has been studied by various groups with various results. Some studies show evidence of the treatment being helpful to treat minor depression, but others show that it does no better than the placebo.

Treatment is dependent on the underlying cause, whether it is organic or psychological in origin. If depersonalization is a symptom of neurological disease, then diagnosis and treatment of the specific disease is the first approach. Depersonalization can be a cognitive symptom of such diseases as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis (MS), neuroborreliosis (Lyme disease), or any other neurological disease affecting the brain. For those suffering from depersonalization with migraine, tricyclic antidepressants are often prescribed.

If depersonalization is a symptom of psychological causes such as developmental trauma, treatment depends on the diagnosis. In case of dissociative identity disorder or DD-NOS as a developmental disorder, in which extreme developmental trauma interferes with formation of a single cohesive identity, treatment requires proper psychotherapy, and—in the case of additional (co-morbid) disorders such as eating disorders—a team of specialists treating such an individual. It can also be a symptom of borderline personality disorder, which can be treated in the long term with proper psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.

The treatment of chronic depersonalization is considered in depersonalization disorder.

A recently completed study at Columbia University in New York City has shown positive effects from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat depersonalization disorder. Currently, however, the FDA has not approved TMS to treat DP.

A 2001 Russian study showed that naloxone, a drug used to reverse the intoxicating effects of opioid drugs, can successfully treat depersonalization disorder. According to the study: "In three of 14 patients, depersonalization symptoms disappeared entirely and seven patients showed a marked improvement. The therapeutic effect of naloxone provides evidence for the role of the endogenous opioid system in the pathogenesis of depersonalization."

Few medications are approved specifically for schizoaffective disorder. In general, medications are chosen to reduce symptoms of psychosis and mood disorder.

Antipsychotic medication is usually required both for acute treatment and the prevention of relapse. There is no single antipsychotic of choice in treating schizoaffective disorder, but atypical antipsychotics should be considered because they have mood-stabilizing activity. Paliperidone is an antipsychotic with FDA approval for the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. Antipsychotics should be used at the minimum dose necessary to control symptoms. Potential side effects include extrapyramidal symptoms, including tremor, muscle stiffness, and restlessness or akathisia. Atypical antipsychotics carry a risk of metabolic syndrome, including weight gain, increased blood sugar, and increased blood cholesterol, so regular monitoring of weight and bloodwork should be carried out. Some atypical antipsychotics, such as ziprasidone and aripiprazole, are associated with less risk than others, such as olanzapine. Medication choice is based on how effectively it reduces symptoms, how few side effects it causes, and cost.

In people with treatment-refractory psychosis, a clozapine trial should be considered. Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is recognized as being particularly effective when other antipsychotic agents have failed. Clozapine should also be considered in people with chronic and persistent suicidal thinking and behaviour, as it has been shown to reduce the risk of suicide in patients with schizoaffective disorder and a history of suicidality. Between 0.5 and 2% of patients taking clozapine may develop a life-threatening complication called agranulocytosis, which is a significant drop in a type of white blood cell. Because of this risk, people taking clozapine must have regular monitoring of blood cell counts.

The management of the bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder is similar to the treatment of bipolar disorder, with the goal of preventing mood episodes and cycling. Lithium or anticonvulsant mood stabilizers such as valproic acid, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine are prescribed in combination with an antipsychotic.

For depression, if an antidepressant is prescribed, "extra attentiveness must be given" by the prescribing clinician due its risk for long-term mood cycle acceleration (that is, inducing more frequent episodes of depression per unit of time) and medication-induced psychosis or mania. For individuals who show emerging psychosis, mania, mixed episode symptoms, or mood cycle acceleration, switching to an antipsychotic plus lithium or lamotrigine is preferable to antidepressants.

For individuals who experience anxiety, anti-anxiety medications can be used, usually on a short-term basis. Benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, clonazepam and diazepam, are types of anti-anxiety medications. Care must be taken when prescribing benzodiazepines due to the risk of the patient developing tolerance and dependence.

Antidepressants are not recommended for use alone in the treatment of bipolar disorder and have not been found to be of any benefit over that found with mood stabilizers. Atypical antipsychotic medications (e.g., aripiprazole) are preferred over antidepressants to augment the effects of mood stabilizers due to the lack of efficacy of antidepressants in bipolar disorder.

Antipsychotic medications are effective for short-term treatment of bipolar manic episodes and appear to be superior to lithium and anticonvulsants for this purpose. Atypical antipsychotics are also indicated for bipolar depression refractory to treatment with mood stabilizers. Olanzapine is effective in preventing relapses, although the supporting evidence is weaker than the evidence for lithium.

Mood stabilizers are often used as part of the treatment process.

1. Lithium is the mainstay in the management of bipolar disorder but it has a narrow therapeutic range and typically requires monitoring

2. Anticonvulsants, such as sodium valproate, carbamazepine or lamotrigine

3. Antipsychotics, such as quetiapine, risperidone, olanzapine or aripiprazole

4. Electroconvulsive therapy, a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect

Some antidepressants, like venlafaxine, have been found to precipitate a manic episode.

There are many different forms (modalities) of treatment used for personality disorders:

- Individual psychotherapy has been a mainstay of treatment. There are long-term and short-term (brief) forms.

- Family therapy, including couples therapy.

- Group therapy for personality dysfunction is probably the second most used.

- Psychological-education may be used as an addition.

- Self-help groups may provide resources for personality disorders.

- Psychiatric medications for treating symptoms of personality dysfunction or co-occurring conditions.

- Milieu therapy, a kind of group-based residential approach, has a history of use in treating personality disorders, including therapeutic communities.

- The practice of mindfulness that includes developing the ability to be nonjudgmentally aware of unpleasant emotions appears to be a promising clinical tool for managing different types of personality disorders.

There are different specific theories or schools of therapy within many of these modalities. They may, for example, emphasize psychodynamic techniques, or cognitive or behavioral techniques. In clinical practice, many therapists use an 'eclectic' approach, taking elements of different schools as and when they seem to fit to an individual client. There is also often a focus on common themes that seem to be beneficial regardless of techniques, including attributes of the therapist (e.g. trustworthiness, competence, caring), processes afforded to the client (e.g. ability to express and confide difficulties and emotions), and the match between the two (e.g. aiming for mutual respect, trust and boundaries).

The most effective treatment for an individual with conduct disorder is one that seeks to integrate individual, school, and family settings. Additionally, treatment should also seek to address familial conflict such as marital discord or maternal depression.