Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Personality Disorders”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources

Personality disorder and the Temperament and Character Inventory in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of personality disorders in a group of elderly patients without an organic mental disorder and to examine the relationship between the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and personality disorder symptoms in psychogeriatric clinical practice. METHOD: A total of 91 subjects completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality questionnaire and the 125-item TCI. RESULTS: Of the 91 subjects, 34 individuals (31%) had at least one DSM-III-R personality disorder diagnosis, with avoidant, dependent and paranoid personality disorder being the most common. The trends and correlations between the temperament and character dimensions and the correlations between individual personality disorder symptoms and the dimensions were similar to those in the original model. The most significant findings were the strong negative correlations of the character scores of self-directedness and co-operativeness with the total number of personality disorder symptoms, and the fact that the self-directedness scores predicted the number of personality disorder diagnoses. CONCLUSION: The reported prevalence rate is comparable to studies of both younger and older patient populations using similar methodology. The TCI provides a useful framework for further research on personality disorders in the elderly.

Aged↗

Husband violence: personality disorders among male batterers.

The potential role of personality disorders in understanding husband violence is a controversial issue. Although researchers consistently find high rates of personality disorders, particularly antisocial and borderline characteristics, among samples of male batterers, feminist theorists worry that such research will divert attention from the broader, societal changes believed necessary to end violence from men. The authors of this paper propose that consideration of personality dimensions, rather than diagnosable personality disorders, is the most productive method of examining the role of personality in husband violence. In particular, batterer typologies integrate our current understanding of the roles of differing personality characteristics in distinguishing among subtypes of violent husbands. The clinical implications of a batterer typology are considered.

Domestic Violence↗

Discriminant efficiency of antisocial and borderline personality disorder criteria in Hispanic men with substance use disorders.

The authors examined the discriminant efficiency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ( DSM-IV ) criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (APD). Subjects were 74 men admitted to an outpatient substance abuse program for monolingual Hispanic adults. All were reliably assessed with the Spanish-language version of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. Conditional probabilities were calculated to determine the diagnostic efficiency and discriminant efficiency of BPD and APD symptoms. Twenty-five (34%) subjects met diagnostic criteria for BPD, and 16 (22%) met criteria for APD. The diagnostic co-occurrence of these disorders was statistically significant. Whereas the diagnostic efficiency of the BPD criterion set was comparable to that reported in other clinical studies, these criteria were not significantly more efficient in diagnosing BPD than APD. By contrast, the APD criteria were more efficient in diagnosing APD than BPD; this was true for both the "adult" and the "conduct disorder" APD criterion subsets. In male Hispanic outpatients with substance use disorders, BPD and APD show significant diagnostic overlap. The APD criteria are useful in discriminating these 2 disorders, whereas the BPD criteria are not. These findings have implications for the discriminant validity of the BPD and APD criteria and support the value of the conduct disorder criteria in predicting APD in adulthood.

Adult↗

Self-mutilation in personality disorders: psychological and biological correlates.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine whether self-mutilators with personality disorders differ from nonmutilators with personality disorders in impulsivity, aggression, and other psychopathology and whether serotonergic dysfunction contributes to self-mutilation. METHOD: Twenty-six self-mutilators with personality disorders were matched to 26 control subjects with personality disorders for gender, age, education, axis I diagnosis of affective disorder, and axis II diagnosis of personality disorder. Numerous indexes of psychopathology as well as CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels and platelet imipramine binding sites (Bmax) and affinity (Kd) were determined. RESULTS: Self-mutilators had significantly more severe character pathology, had greater lifetime aggression, and were more antisocial than the control subjects. The self-mutilators scored higher on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression but not on the Beck Depression Inventory or the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The two groups did not differ on the Buss-Durkee Hostility and Guilt Inventory or on the Sensation Seeking Scale. The degree of self-mutilation was significantly correlated with impulsivity, chronic anger, and somatic anxiety. Both self-mutilation and impulsivity showed significant negative correlations with Bmax, although the two groups did not differ in CSF 5-HIAA levels or in platelet imipramine binding. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the contribution of severe character pathology, aggression, impulsivity, anxiety, and anger to self-mutilation and provide preliminary support for the hypothesis of underlying serotonergic dysfunction facilitating self-mutilation.

Humans↗

Prospective assessment of treatment use by patients with personality disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the utilization of mental health treatments over a three-year period among patients with schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorders compared with patients with major depressive disorder and no personality disorder. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal study design was used to measure treatment use for 633 individuals aged 18 to 45 years during a three-year period. RESULTS: Patients with borderline personality disorder were significantly more likely than those with major depressive disorder to use most types of treatment. Furthermore, all patients continued using high-intensity, low-duration treatments throughout the study period, whereas individual psychotherapy attendance declined significantly after one year. CONCLUSIONS: Although our data showed that patients with borderline personality disorder used more mental health services than those with major depressive disorder, many questions remain about the adequacy of the treatment received by all patients with personality disorders.

Adolescent↗

Personality disorder and future-directed thinking in parasuicide.

Parasuicide patients have been found to lack positive expectations for the future. The aim of the present study was to look at variations in this lack of positive future-thinking as a function of personality status. A sample (N = 442) of repeat parasuicide patients was assessed on positive and negative future-thinking and the presence of personality disorder or personality difficulty. Those with a Cluster B personality disorder (borderline or dissocial) were significantly lower in positive future-thinking than those with no Cluster B symptoms or those with Cluster B personality difficulty. Neither Cluster A nor Cluster C symptomatology was related to positive future-thinking. Negative future-thinking was not significantly related to any type of personality disorder or difficulty. The results are interpreted as evidence of the importance of personality status in influencing positive future-thinking and gives some indications of why those with Cluster B personality disorder have such high rates of recurrent self-harm.

Adult↗

Stability of functional impairment in patients with schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder over two years.

BACKGROUND: A defining feature of personality disorder (PD) is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that is stable over time. Follow-up and follow-along studies have shown considerable diagnostic instability of PDs, however, even over short intervals. What, then, about personality disorder is stable? The purpose of this study was to determine the stability of impairment in psychosocial functioning in patients with four different PDs, in contrast to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and no PD, prospectively over a 2-year period. METHOD: Six hundred treatment-seeking or treated patients were recruited primarily from clinical services in four metropolitan areas of the Northeastern USA. Patients were assigned to one of five diagnostic groups: schizotypal (STPD) (n=81), borderline (BPD) (n=155), avoidant (AVPD) (n=137), or obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) (n=142) personality disorders or MDD and no PD (n=85), based on the results of semi-structured interview assessments and self-report measures. Impairment in psychosocial functioning was measured using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE) at baseline and at three follow-up assessments. RESULTS: Significant improvement in psychosocial functioning occurred in only three of seven domains of functioning and was largely the result of improvements in the MDD and no PD group. Patients with BPD or OCPD showed no improvement in functioning overall, but patients with BPD who experienced change in personality psychopathology showed some improvement in functioning. Impairment in social relationships appeared most stable in patients with PDs. CONCLUSION: Impairment in functioning, especially social functioning, may be an enduring component of personality disorder.

Activities of Daily Living↗

The pain of being borderline: dysphoric states specific to borderline personality disorder.

The objective of this study was to identify the dysphoric states that best characterize patients meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder and distinguish them from those in patients with other forms of personality disorder. One hundred forty-six patients with criteria-defined borderline personality disorder and 34 Axis II controls filled out the Dysphoric Affect Scale, a 50-item self-report measure that was designed for this purpose and has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Twenty-five dysphoric states (mostly affects) were found to be significantly more common among borderline patients than controls but nonspecific to borderline personality disorder. Twenty-five other dysphoric states (mostly cognitions) were found to be both significantly more common among borderline patients than controls and highly specific to borderline personality disorder. These states tended to fall into one of four clusters: (1) extreme feelings, (2) destructiveness or self-destructiveness, (3) fragmentation or "identitylessness," and (4) victimization. In addition, three of the 25 more-specific states (feeling betrayed, like hurting myself, and completely out of control), when occurring together, were particularly strongly associated with the borderline diagnosis. Equally important, overall mean Dysphoric Affect Scale scores correctly distinguished borderline personality disorder from other personality disorders in 84% of the subjects. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the subjective pain of borderline patients may be both more pervasive and more multifaceted than previously recognized, and that the overall "amplitude" of this pain may be a particularly good marker for the borderline diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

Dependent personality disorder. Age, sex, and axis I comorbidity.

In the present report, we analyzed the age, sex, and axis I comorbidity of a large sample of patients with dependent personality disorder, and compared the findings with those obtained in patients with other personality disorders. The sample consisted of 3640 consecutive hospital admissions with a DSM-III axis II diagnosis. Of the 342 patients with a dependent diagnosis, 51.2% were over 40 years of age, compared with only 25.7% of the remaining patients with a personality disorder. The dependent sample was 69.6% female compared with 58.6% of those with other types of personality disorders. In general, dependent patients were more likely to have major depression and bipolar disorder than those with other personality disorders. Dysthymia and anxiety disorders occurred no more often than they did in the other personality disorders, as a whole. The rate of alcohol use disorders was lower than that observed in any other personality disorder except schizotypal. The rate of drug use disorders was intermediate between the lowest and highest rates in the other personality disorders.

Adolescent↗

The representation of borderline, avoidant, obsessive-compulsive, and schizotypal personality disorders by the five-factor model.

This study evaluated the accuracy of hypothesized relationships of the five-factor model of personality to four targeted personality disorders in a large multisite sample of patients. Data were gathered from 668 patients, who were assigned to one of five study cells: Borderline, Schizotypal, Avoidant, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, and a Major Depression without personality disorder comparison group. Patients were administered a questionnaire designed to assess the domains and facets of the five-factor model and results were compared among diagnostic groups and between patients and community norms. Although many relationships between personality traits and disorders were obtained, the magnitude of the relationships varied greatly as a function of the comparison group involved. In general, the differences between the personality disorder patients and community norms were far larger than the differences between the specific personality disorder groups. Also, for avoidant personality, it appeared that statistical interactions between personality factors are needed to better differentiate it from other personality disorder groups. The four personality disorder groups studied could each be distinguished from community norms on the personality dimensions of the five-factor model. However, differentiating among the four groups proved more difficult, as each shared the configuration of high Neuroticism, low Agreeableness, and low Conscientiousness. It does not appear that these disorders represent extremes of different personality dimensions, but rather each appears to be a variant of the same extreme configuration. Differences between personality disorders may reflect diverse interactions among the dimensions, rather than differences on single dimensions.

Adult↗

Childhood abuse, alexithymia and personality disorder.

I examined the relationships among childhood abuse, alexithymia, and personality disorder. Participants were 60 adults who were receiving outpatient psychotherapy. Both the participants and their therapists used the Toronto Alexithymia Scale to provide independently information concerning the client's level of alexithymia. The therapists provided information concerning DSM-III-R personality disorder diagnoses, and participants completed portions of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised. Information concerning childhood abuse history was obtained from the therapists. As expected, childhood abuse, alexithymia, and personality disorder were all associated with each other. The abilities to identify and communicate emotions were differentially associated with childhood abuse and personality disorder.

Adolescent↗

Factors associated with multiple hospitalizations of patients with borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to identify aspects of borderline personality disorder and comorbid axis I conditions associated with multiple hospitalizations in a sample of patients with borderline personality disorder. METHODS: Data were collected as part of a larger study of treatment course of inpatients with this disorder. Predictors of multiple hospitalization from three domains were considered: demographic characteristics, criteria of borderline personality disorder, and comorbid axis I pathology. A sequential model-building strategy was used, with each domain considered separately and result combined into an overall regression model of factors related to multiple hospitalization. RESULTS: Three factors were related to frequency of hospitalization: anorexia, psychotic symptoms, and suicidality. Other variables that are often assumed to be related to hospitalization, such as depression, did not emerge as significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should intervene early to address the emergence of certain axis I conditions among patients with borderline personality disorder. Increased expenditure of outpatient resources may prevent hospitalization when these conditions are present.

Adolescent↗

Cognitive features of borderline personality disorder.

Of 50 patients with borderline personality disorder, 100% reported disturbed but nonpsychotic thought, 40% (N = 20) reported quasi-psychotic thought, and none reported true psychotic thought during the past 2 years; only 14% (N = 7) reported ever experiencing true psychotic thought. Disturbed and quasi-psychotic thought was significantly more common among these patients than among patients with other axis II disorders or schizophrenia and normal control subjects; however, true psychotic thought was significantly more common among schizophrenic patients. While disturbed thought was also common among axis II disorder and schizophrenic patients, quasi-psychotic thought was reported by only one of these subjects, suggesting that quasi-psychotic thought may be a marker for borderline personality disorder.

Adult↗

A psychometric analysis of the social-interpersonal and cognitive-perceptual items for the schizotypal personality disorder.

Because the social-interpersonal symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder have been more useful than the cognitive-perceptual in identifying the biological relatives of schizophrenics, it has been recommended that the schizotypal DSM-III-R (or DSM-IV) criteria be revised to emphasize the social-interpersonal items. This study determined whether the social-interpersonal items would be more efficient than the cognitive-perceptual in diagnosing schizotypal personality disorder in patients presenting to a clinical setting. In contrast to studies conducted in nonclinical samples, we found that the cognitive-perceptual items were equally and at times more important than the social-interpersonal items to the diagnosis of patients with schizotypal personality disorder. We demonstrate that the value of an item depends in part on the particular differential diagnosis at issue.

Adult↗

Ethnicity and four personality disorders.

The current study examined the relationship between ethnicity and DSM-IV personality disorders. The distribution of four personality disorders--borderline (BPD), schizotypal (STPD), avoidant (AVPD), and obsessive-compulsive (OCPD)--along with their criteria sets, were compared across three ethnic groups (Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics) using both a clinician-administered diagnostic interview and a self-report instrument. Participants were 554 patients drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS) who comprised these three ethnic groups and met personality disorder criteria based on reliably administered semistructured interviews. Chi-square analyses revealed disproportionately higher rates of BPD in Hispanic than in Caucasian and African American participants and higher rates of STPD among African Americans when compared to Caucasians. Self-report data reflected similar patterns. The findings suggest that in treatment-seeking samples, Caucasians, Hispanics, and African Americans may present with different patterns of personality pathology. The factors contributing to these differences warrant further investigation.

Adolescent↗

Prevalence and stability of the DSM-III-R personality disorders in a community-based survey of adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence, concurrent validity, and stability of DSM-III-R personality disorders in a large community-based sample of adolescents. METHOD: A randomly selected community sample of 733 youths ranging in age from 9 to 19 years was followed over a 2-year period. The protocol consisted of structured interviews with the adolescents and their mothers and self-report questionnaires. Algorithms for 10 DSM-III-R axis II disorders were developed to produce diagnoses at two levels of severity; these were validated against multiple indicators of distress and functional impairment. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of personality disorders peaked at age 12 in boys and at age 13 in girls and declined thereafter. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder was the most prevalent moderate axis II disorder, narcissistic personality disorder the most prevalent severe disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder the least prevalent axis II disorder, based on both moderate and severe diagnostic thresholds. All moderate axis II disorders were associated with significantly greater odds for at least five of 12 diagnostic validators. Longitudinal follow-up revealed that although most axis II disorders did not persist over a 2-year period, subjects with disorders identified earlier remained at elevated risk for receiving a diagnosis again at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a substantial minority of adolescents who are not in treatment qualify for DSM-III-R personality disorder diagnoses and that these diagnoses are associated with increased risk of psychological distress and functional impairment.

Adolescent↗

Predictors of 2-year outcome for patients with borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this report was to investigate whether characteristics of subjects with borderline personality disorder observed at baseline can predict variations in outcome at the 2-year follow-up. METHOD: Hypothesized predictor variables were selected from prior studies. The patients (N=160) were recruited from the four clinical sites of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders; the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders, a modified version of that instrument; the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation; and the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire-Revised. Univariate Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated on the primary predictor variables, and with two forward stepwise regression models, outcome was assessed with global functioning and number of borderline personality disorder criteria. RESULTS: The authors' most significant results confirm prior findings that more severe baseline psychopathology (i.e., higher levels of borderline personality disorder criteria and functional disability) and a history of childhood trauma predict a poor outcome. A new finding suggests that the quality of current relationships of patients with borderline personality disorder have prognostic significance. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians can estimate 2-year prognosis for patients with borderline personality disorder by evaluating level of severity of psychopathology, childhood trauma, and current relationships.

Adult↗

Personality disorders in dysthymia and major depression.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the comorbidity of personality disorders in patients with primary dysthymia compared to those with episodic major depression. METHOD: A total of 177 out-patients with primary dysthymia and 187 outpatients with episodic major depression were administered a structured diagnostic interview for DSM-III-R Axis II disorders. In addition, all of these patients completed the BDI, and those with the appropriate level of education also completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of dysthymic patients than patients with major depression met the criteria for a personality disorder, for borderline, histrionic, avoidant, dependent, self-defeating types and for personality disorders of clusters B and C. Further analysis revealed that the above differences were mainly due to the subgroup of patients with 'early-onset dysthymia'. Finally, patients with a personality disorder, both dysthymics and those with major depression, had significantly higher scores on the BDI and on the majority of the MMPI scales compared to those without a personality disorder. CONCLUSION: The data indicated that (i) dysthymia--mainly that of early onset--is associated with significantly higher personality disorder comorbidity than episodic major depression, and (ii) the presence of a personality disorder is related to more severe overall psychopathology.

Adult↗