Personality disorders in the community: a report from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Background: The first set of aims of the present study was to determine the prevalence of personality disorders (PDs) in a nation, and gender differen ces in the types and numbers of PDs endorsed. The second set of aims was to establish the relationship of PD to other, non-PD disorders, physical cond itions, and disability. Method: Data were obtained from the Australian Nati onal Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted between May and Augus t 1997. A stratified random sample of households was generated, from which all those aged 18 or over were considered potential interviewees. There wer e 10,641 respondents to the survey, and this represented a response rate of 78%. Each interviewee was asked 59 questions indexing specific ICD-10 PD c riteria. Results: Of the total survey sample, 704 persons had at least one PD. Using weighted replicate weights, it was estimated that approximately 6 .5% of the adult population of Australia have one or more PDs (lifetime pre valence). Persons with PD were more likely to be younger, male, and not mar ried, and to have an anxiety disorder, an affective disorder, a substance u se disorder, or a physical condition. They were also more likely to have gr eater disability than those without PD. Conclusion: The study is the first nationwide survey of mental disorders conducted within Australia. It provid es an estimate of the prevalence of the various types of PD. The survey has considerable limitations, however, and these are discussed.