THE ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY-DISORDERS - IMPLICATIONS FOR COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIOR-THERAPY

This article reviews the comorbidity of personality disorders (PDs) an d Axis I disorders and discusses implications for assessment and treat ment. Pros and cons of various assessment methods are discussed. The c o-occurrence of PDs with Axis I disorders is considerable; roughly hal f of patients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders or eating d isorders received a PD diagnosis. Comorbidity models are discussed and implications for assessment and treatment are provided. Regarding the impact of PDs on cognitive-behavioral treatment outcome for Axis I di sorders, conflicting results are found due to differences in assessmen t methods, treatment strategies, and patient samples. It is argued tha t additional Axis I pathology should be taken into account when studyi ng the impact of PDs on treatment outcome for the target Axis I disord ers. Finally, it is argued that the interpersonal behavior of the PD p atient and the therapeutic relationship deserve more attention in the assessment and treatment of patients with PDs. Copyright (C) 1996 Else vier Science Ltd