30-MONTH STABILITY OF PERSONALITY-DISORDER DIAGNOSES IN DEPRESSED OUTPATIENTS

Objective: This study examined the 30-month stability of axis II condi tions. Method: One hundred eight depressed outpatients received compre hensive, semistructured personality disorder assessments at baseline a nd at follow-up. Results: The diagnostic stability of personality diso rders ranged from low to moderate at the categorical level and was gen erally moderate at the dimensional level. Most disorders exhibited goo n discriminant validity, in that the association between a disorder at baseline and at follow-up was greater than the associations between t hat disorder at baseline and the other 11 axis II disorders at follow- up. Two variables, sex and lifetime history of substance abuse or depe ndence, were significantly related to change In level of personality d isorder features over time. Conclusions: Personality disorders have lo w to moderate stability over a 30-month period in depressed outpatient s.