The clinical characteristics of personality disorder subtypes in Naval service

The clinical importance of personality disorder subtypes was evaluated through an analysis of the demographic characteristics and outcomes for 11,549 navy enlisted men who received a primary diagnosis of a character and behavior disorder. Men with similar demographic characteristics serving in similar environments and demonstrating grossly similar clinical pictures received different diagnoses and dispositions in the various hospitals studied. Within any 1 hospital over the 4 study years, while demography of character and behavior disorder patients remained stable, diagnostic breakdowns and administrative and outcome characteristics varied markedly. The data are thus consistent with the hypothesis that diagnostic subtypes for personality disorders have limited clinical and prognostic meanings. The label may reflect the idiosyncratic preference of a particular physician at 1 point in time as much as the clinical picture or prognosis of the patient.