title: Under the axis II radar: clinically relevant personality constellations that escape DSM-IV diagnosis.
abstract: Research suggests that personality pathology lies on a continuum from relatively severe to less severe and that subthreshold variants may not be adequately captured by axis II of DSM-IV. In this study, we used a measure of personality and psychopathology designed for experienced clinical observers (the SWAP-200) to derive subthreshold personality constellations in a sample of 159 psychotherapy patients who were high functioning but nevertheless suffered from maladaptive personality patterns. Using Q-factor analysis (an empirical clustering procedure), we identified 4 diagnostic groupings or SPC, which resembled the clinical concept of "neurotic styles": depressive, hostile-competitive, obsessive, and hysterical. The results of this study should stimulate further research on subthreshold personality configurations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Pavel S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Blagov
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Westen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011779:Q-Sort / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires