title: Issues in the assessment of personality disorder and substance abuse using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II).
abstract: Substance abuse treatment clients often present other severe mental health problems that affect treatment outcomes. Hence, screening and assessment for psychological distress and personality disorder are an important part of effective treatment, discharge, and aftercare planning. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) frequently is used for this purpose. In this paper, several issues of concern to MCMI-II users are addressed. These include the extent to which MCMI-II scales correspond to DSM-III-R disorders; overdiagnosis of disorders using the MCMI-II; accuracy of MCMI-II diagnostic cut-off scores; and the clinical utility of MCMI-II diagnostic algorithms. Approaches to addressing these issues are offered.
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Treatment Research, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2194, USA.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fairbank
mesh_terms: D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D006801:Humans; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation