Naturalistic study on ICD-10 personality disorders

Objective. To study the frequency, socio-demography and comorbidity of ICD-10 personality disorders (PD), especially of emotionally unstable PD, in psychiatric inpatients. To test the subdivision of emotionally unstable PD in impulsive and borderline subtypes. Methods. Data on all psychiatric hospital stays in the Canton of Zurich in the years 1998-2002, routinely collected at the time of each patient's hospitalization, were analysed. Results. PD was diagnosed in 10.2% of all inpatients, and the proportion of emotionally unstable PD diagnosis was 54.5%. There are considerable differences between impulsive and borderline personality disorders with respect to sex, age, employment status and comorbidity. Conclusion. Emotionally unstable PD is the most frequent PD in clinical settings. Its differentiation into impulsive and borderline subtypes is justified.