ABSTRACT
The personality disorders may simultaneously be the most over-used and under-considered collection of diagnoses in the practice of psychiatry and psychology – forensic or otherwise. The pertinence of caution becomes even more apparent when considering individual personality disorders. Both main classification systems go on to subdivide personality disorder into a number of smaller categories, reflecting the main areas of personal and social disruption. Instruments used for the assessment of personality and its disorders are founded in two principal approaches – the structured clinical interview – with the patient and/or with informants – and the self report questionnaire. A number of assessment tools follow the principles of structure or administration just described, but focus on specific domains of personality pathology, for example the psychopathy checklist – revised or the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. The true cost of untreated personality disorder in serious offenders, including recidivist child sex offenders is, however, incalculable.
