PREVALENCE OF PERSONALITY-DISORDERS AMONG PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS

Outpatients with a principal diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (n = 347 ) were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R/Ax is II Disorders (SCID-II) during their intake evaluation. At least one personality disorder was found in 35% of these patients. Patients wit h social phobia (61%) and generalized anxiety disorder (49%) were most often diagnosed with a personality disorder. Patients with simple pho bia were rarely diagnosed with a personality disorder (12%). The most commonly diagnosed personality disorders were from the ''anxious/fearf ul'' cluster (27% received at least one diagnosis from cluster C), mos t notably avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality. Our findings suggest that personality disorders, in general, are less prevalent amo ng anxious patients than among depressive patients.