CONTINUITIES BETWEEN PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS IN ADOLESCENTS AND PERSONALITY-DISORDERS IN YOUNG-ADULTS

Objective: Personality disorders are a major mental health problem, bu t little information about their etiology and natural history is avail able. This study examined continuities between axis I disorders in ado lescents and personality disorders in young adults. Method: The author s interviewed 145 young adults (mean age, 19.6 years) who had been dia gnosed with a variety of DSM-III emotional and disruptive disorders du ring adolescence (mean age, 13.7 years). The Personality Disorder Exam ination was used to establish whether the subjects currently suffered from personality disorders. Results: Subjects who had had disruptive d isorders during adolescence showed high rates of all types of personal ity disorders (40% had a personality disorder at follow-up), while sub jects who had had emotional disorders had a lower rate of personality disorders (12%). Men were more likely to have cluster A personality di sorders, and women were more likely to have cluster C personality diso rders. Disruptive diagnoses were associated with cluster B personality disorders, but emotional disorders did not show an association with c luster C personality disorders. Oppositional disorder did not increase the likelihood of passive-aggressive personality disorder. There was an association between attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity a nd borderline personality disorder. Conclusions: The rate of personali ty disorders was lower among young adults who had had emotional disord ers during adolescence than among those who had had disruptive disorde rs, suggesting either that treatment for emotional disorders is more e ffective or that the personality psychopathology in these adolescents is not as severe as that in adolescents with disruptive disorders.