The psychiatry of family practice: personality disorders part 1: the problem patient

Part 1 of this two part article on personality disorders follows Voineskos et al's suggestion that "in the psychiatric training of medical students the focus should be primarily on teaching `psychiatry of medicla practice' and much less on teaching `specialty psychiatry'."(1) It is not a comprehensive phenomenological presentation of the subject, but an attempt to stimulate clinicians to consider aspects of the personalities of their patients-`psychiatric' or otherwise-in clinical assessment and management. It also attempts to integrate historically `psychiatric' skills and concepts into family practice. Case histories are discussed with particular reference to the work of Michael Balint.(2).