ABSTRACT
The prevalence of personality disorders in the general population is approximately 10%–15% (Maier, Lichtermann, Klinger, & Heun, 1992). In clinical settings, the prevalence increases substantially (see Matia & Zimmerman [2001] for review). Personality disorders tend to co-occur with other more acute symptom-based (i.e. Axis I) disorders with great frequency (Maier, Minges, Lichtermann, & Heun, 1995). The Axis I disorders commonly associated with, and negatively affected by, comorbid personality disorders include (but are not limited to): major depression (Gunderson & Phillips, 1991; Shea, Widiger, & Klein, 1992), anxiety (Stein, Hollander, & Skodol, 1993), social phobia (Hirschfeld, Shea, & Weise, 1991), eating disorders (Godt, 2002), and schizophrenia (Hogg, Jackson, Rudd, et al. 1990). This substantial comorbidity is important, because the presence of a personality disorder often complicates proper diagnosis, interferes with effective treatment, and negatively contributes to the clinical course of many Axis I disorders (McGlashan, Grillo, Skodol et al., 2000).
