title: A systematic assessment of the comorbidity of DSM-III-R personality disorders in alcoholic outpatients.
abstract: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the systematic comorbidity of DSM-III-R personality disorders (PDs) in a sample of alcoholic outpatients. The extent and direction of overlap can provide a measure of heterogeneity and descriptive validity. Fifty sober alcoholic outpatients enrolled in a treatment program were assessed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III (SCID) instruments for the presence of axis I and axis II disorders; 80% had either a coexistent axis I or II disorder, with 66% having an axis I disorder, 64% an axis II disorder, and 50% both axis I and II disorders. There were 84 PD diagnoses among the 32 PD patients (2.6/patient), with multiple diagnoses in 20 (62%). The most prevalent PD diagnoses were paranoid (44%), antisocial (20%), avoidant (20%), passive-aggressive (18%), and borderline (16%). Overlap was extensive and not confined to any one of the three designated axis II clusters. Poorer outcome was associated with the presence of PD. Personality variables may offer a means of further characterizing the heterogeneity observed in axis I disorders. Further refinement of the current system of PD classification and investigation into alternate models is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica, NY 11432.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Nurnberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rifkin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doddi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires