Personality disorders in cocaine dependence

To assess the relationship between cocaine dependence and personality disorders, we administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II) to 50 patients who were hospitalized for cocaine dependence. We modified the SCID-II so that patients were asked to indicate whether personality traits (if present) occurred during periods of drug use, abstinence, or both. Thirty-seven patients (74%) received at least one axis II diagnosis; 69% of these diagnoses were present both during periods of drug use and abstinence. Only one patient received a diagnosis during periods of drug use alone. These findings suggest that personality disorder diagnoses in cocaine-dependent patients remain relatively stable regardless of current drug use patterns. These data support clinicians' addressing these maladaptive personality traits as part of treatment for cocaine dependence.