Personality Pathology in Primary Care: Ongoing Needs for Detection and Intervention

Recent studies demonstrate that personality disorders are prevalent within outpatient psychiatry clinics, though they also are quite common in primary care settings. Studies across multiple health care settings demonstrate that those with a known PD have higher incidences of health problems, higher utilization of the health care system, and have a life expectancy 17.7 years less than that of the population in general. Despite these data, little attention has been directed toward detecting, managing, and treating patients with personality pathology in primary care settings. Consequently, it is argued that more attention be devoted to detecting PDs in this population, training physicians and primary care professionals in the rapid screening of personality pathology, the management of patients with personality pathology, and utilizing behavioral health specialists and reliable referral sources to address these problems as part of their overall health care management. Suggestions for how to implement these ideas are offered.