Detecting the Presence of a Personality Disorder Using Interpersonal and Self-Dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Disorders Research

Background:

• Growing consensus highlights interpersonal and self-disturbance as core to personality disorders (PDs).
• The exact nature of this underlying factor across all PDs remains unclear.
• Previous research suggests a common etiology for PDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically investigate interpersonal and self-dysfunction as potential general factors in personality disorders.
• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of interpersonal and self-dysfunction scales for PDs.

Main Methods:

• Interviews were conducted with 272 individuals (191 with PD, 91 without) for DSM-IV PD diagnosis and assessment of interpersonal/self-dysfunction.
• Interpersonal dysfunction was evaluated across various social domains.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive accuracy of dysfunction scales.

Main Results:

• Dysfunction in work and romantic domains, alongside unstable identity, uniquely predicted the presence of a PD.
• Both interpersonal and self-dysfunction scales demonstrated high accuracy in predicting PDs.
• Combined scales achieved excellent sensitivity (.90) and specificity (.88) for PD diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• The findings strongly support interpersonal and self-dysfunction as general, underlying factors of personality disorders.
• These dimensions offer a promising avenue for understanding and diagnosing PDs.
• The study validates the utility of assessing interpersonal and self-dysfunction for clinical purposes.