Cumulative prevalence of personality disorders between adolescence and adulthood.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the cumulative prevalence of personality disorder (PD) among adults in the community, based on prospective longitudinal data from a series of psychiatric interviews.


METHODS
Psychiatric interviews were administered to a regionally representative community-based sample of 568 individuals in 1983 (mean age = 14), 1985-1986 (mean age = 16), 1991-1993 (mean age = 22), and 2001-2004 (mean age 33).


RESULTS
The point prevalence of any current DSM-IV PD, including depressive PD and passive-aggressive PD, varied between 12.7% and 14.6% across the four diagnostic assessments. The cumulative prevalence of PD increased at each of the follow-up assessments. At mean age 33, the estimated lifetime prevalence of PD was 28.2%.


CONCLUSIONS
The cumulative prevalence of PD, based on a series of interviews conducted during adolescence and adulthood, may be substantially higher than the point prevalence of current PD based on a single assessment interview.
Johnson
Jeffrey G
JG
Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. jjohnso@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Cohen
Patricia
P
Kasen
Stephanie
S
Skodol
Andrew E
AE
Oldham
John M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult