- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- 4.7.1 Generalized anxiety disorders
- 4.7.2 Social anxiety disorder and specific phobias
- 4.7.3 Panic disorder and agoraphobia
- 4.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder
- 4.9 Depersonalization disorder
- 4.10 Disorders of eating
- 4.11 Sexuality, gender identity, and their disorders
- 4.12 Personality disorders
- 4.12.1 Personality disorders: an introductory perspective
- 4.12.2 Diagnosis and classification of personality disorders
- 4.12.3 Specific types of personality disorder
- 4.12.4 Epidemiology of personality disorders
- 4.12.5 Neuropsychological templates for abnormal personalities: from genes to biodevelopmental pathways
- 4.12.6 Psychotherapy for personality disorder
- 4.12.7 Management of personality disorder
- 4.13 Habit and impulse control disorder
- 4.14 Sleep–wake disorders
- 4.15 Suicide
- 4.16 Culture-related specific psychiatric syndromes
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Epidemiology of personality disorders
- Chapter:
- Epidemiology of personality disorders
- Author(s):
Francesca Guzzetta
and Giovanni de Girolamo
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0111
tbegun to be scientifically investigated. This development has taken place because a number of standardized instruments to assess personality and PD in an empirical fashion have been developed, in parallel with the refinement of a valid and reliable diagnostic system based on a categorical approach. The need for the epidemiological investigation of PDs seems justified for several reasons. 1 As seen in recent epidemiological surveys, PDs are frequent and have been found in different countries and sociocultural settings. 2 PDs can seriously impair the life of the affected individual and can be highly disruptive to societies, communities, and families. 3 Personality status is often a major predictive variable in determining the outcome of Axis I mental disorders and the response to treatment. In this chapter, we review the epidemiological literature on PDs up to October 2007, focusing on studies carried out since the development of the DSM-III. First, community prevalence studies of PDs are reviewed. We then look at the prevalence of individual PDs in the community. Finally, we consider the prevalence of PDs in clinical populations, and in special settings (e.g. primary care, prisons, etc.).
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- 4.7.1 Generalized anxiety disorders
- 4.7.2 Social anxiety disorder and specific phobias
- 4.7.3 Panic disorder and agoraphobia
- 4.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder
- 4.9 Depersonalization disorder
- 4.10 Disorders of eating
- 4.11 Sexuality, gender identity, and their disorders
- 4.12 Personality disorders
- 4.12.1 Personality disorders: an introductory perspective
- 4.12.2 Diagnosis and classification of personality disorders
- 4.12.3 Specific types of personality disorder
- 4.12.4 Epidemiology of personality disorders
- 4.12.5 Neuropsychological templates for abnormal personalities: from genes to biodevelopmental pathways
- 4.12.6 Psychotherapy for personality disorder
- 4.12.7 Management of personality disorder
- 4.13 Habit and impulse control disorder
- 4.14 Sleep–wake disorders
- 4.15 Suicide
- 4.16 Culture-related specific psychiatric syndromes
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry