A state-of-the-art review of current knowledge on the epidemiology of personality disorders. In view of the paucity of data on the incidence and prevalence of these disorders, the book also takes a future-oriented approach, concentrating on the types of studies now possible following the recent development of an internationally-agreed nomenclature, a widely tested and accepted diagnostic system, and standardized instruments for assessment. The book is the first in a new WHO series of studies intended to improve understanding of the epidemiology of mental disorders and thus facilitate the identification of risk factors, including social and cultural determinants. The book opens with a review of the evolution of clinical concepts and diagnostic classifications, concentrating on similarities and differences between the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and the revised third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R). Further background information is provided through a discussion of several diagnostic categories that have raised important conceptual problems, and a review of the main methods currently available for assessing personality disorders. The chapter also considers questions concerning the concordance between standardized interviews and self-report questionnaires for the diagnosis of these disorders. Findings from epidemiological studies of personality disorders are reviewed in the most extensive chapter, which concentrates on recent prevalence studies conducted in general population samples, in primary health care facilities, and in psychiatric settings. The important issue of comorbidity, among personality disorders as well as with other psychiatric disorders, is also discussed. The book concludes with a series of recommendations for future studies, including the main areas requiring further investigation and key methodological problems that will need to be resolved. Annexed to the book are the ICD-10 clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines, and the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for research for this group of disorders.

chi eng fre rus spa.

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WHODOC

WHO monograph

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