Prevalence
The prevalence of personality disorder in the general community was largely unknown until surveys starting from the 1990s. In 2008 the median rate of diagnosable PD was estimated at 10.6%, based on six major studies across three nations. This rate of around one in ten, especially as associated with high use of services, is described as a major public health concern requiring attention by researchers and clinicians.
The prevalence of individual personality disorders ranges from about 2% to 3% for the more common varieties, such as schizotypal, antisocial, borderline, and histrionic, to 0.5–1% for the least common, such as narcissistic and avoidant.
A screening survey across 13 countries by the World Health Organization using DSM-IV criteria, reported in 2009 a prevalence estimate of around 6% for personality disorders. The rate sometimes varied with demographic and socioeconomic factors, and functional impairment was partly explained by co-occurring mental disorders. In the US, screening data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication between 2001 and 2003, combined with interviews of a subset of respondents, indicated a population prevalence of around 9% for personality disorders in total. Functional disability associated with the diagnoses appeared to be largely due to co-occurring mental disorders (Axis I in the DSM).
A UK national epidemiological study (based on DSM-IV screening criteria), reclassified into levels of severity rather than just diagnosis, reported in 2010 that the majority of people show some personality difficulties in one way or another (short of threshold for diagnosis), while the prevalence of the most complex and severe cases (including meeting criteria for multiple diagnoses in different clusters) was estimated at 1.3%. Even low levels of personality symptoms were associated with functional problems, but the most severely in need of services was a much smaller group.
There are also some gender differences in the frequency of personality disorders. They are shown in the table below.
| Gender differences in the frequency of personality disorders | |
|---|---|
| Type of personality disorder | Sex |
| Paranoid personality disorder | Male |
| Schizoid personality disorder | Male |
| Schizotypal personality disorder | Male |
| Antisocial personality disorder | Male |
| Borderline personality disorder | Female |
| Histrionic personality disorder | Female |
| Narcissistic personality disorder | Male |
| Avoidant personality disorder | Equal |
| Dependent personality disorder | Female |
| Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder | Male |
Read more about this topic: Personality Disorder
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