ABSTRACT

Personality disorders are defined in ICD-10 as ‘deeply ingrained and enduring behaviour patterns, manifesting themselves as inflexible responses to a broad range of personal and social situations. They represent either extreme or significant deviations from the way the average individual in a given culture perceives, thinks, feels and particularly relates to others. Such behavioural patterns tend to be stable and to encompass multiple domains of behaviour and psychological functioning. They are sometimes associated with various degrees of subjective distress and problems in social functioning and performance.’