Personality disorders in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression

Abstract

Little is known about the frequency of the full-range of personality disorders in outpatients with concurrent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, a common and oftentimes treatment-resistant combination in clinical practice. In a group therapy outcome study, Axis I and II diagnoses were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale to select 115 male combat veterans with PTSD and depressive disorder. Within this sample, 52 (45.2%) had one or more personality disorders--most commonly paranoid (17.4%), obsessive-compulsive (16.5%), avoidant (12.2%), and borderline (8.7%)--and 19 (16.5%) had two or more. Documenting a substantial frequency of personality disorders is a first step in devising appropriate interventions for this treatment-resistant combination of disorders.