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The distinction between personality disorder and mental illness
1University of Edinburgh, 3 West Castle Road, Edinburgh EH10 5AT, UK.
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|February 2, 2002
Summary
It remains unclear if personality disorders are mental illnesses due to definitional ambiguities and lack of data. Historical distinctions are weakening, but effective treatments could shift psychiatric attitudes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Forensic Psychiatry
Background:
- UK government proposals for preventive detention of individuals with dangerous severe personality disorders raise questions about their classification as mental illnesses.
- The debate centers on whether personality disorders constitute mental illnesses, impacting legal and clinical approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the concepts of psychopathy and personality disorder.
- To assess contemporary British psychiatrists' attitudes towards personality disorders.
- To clarify the definitions of 'mental illness' and 'mental disorder' in this context.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on personality disorders.
- Analysis within the framework of four contrasting concepts of illness or disease.
- Assessment of clinical and genetic evidence impacting historical classifications.
Main Results:
- Ambiguities in definitions and insufficient foundational data prevent a confident conclusion on whether personality disorders are mental illnesses.
- Current evidence does not definitively classify personality disorders as mental illnesses or exclude them.
Conclusions:
- Historical reasons for differentiating personality disorders from mental illnesses are increasingly challenged by clinical and genetic findings.
- Development of effective treatments for personality disorders is likely to significantly influence psychiatrists' perspectives and classifications.