Geology 102: More Thoughts on a Shift to a Dimensional Model of Personality Disorders

Dimensional models of personality: the five-factor model and the DSM-5

It is evident that the classification of personality disorder is shifting toward a dimensional trait model and, more specifically, the five-factor model (FFM). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the FFM of personality disorder. It will begin with a description of this dimensional model of normal and abnormal personality functioning, followed by a comparison with a proposal for future revisions to DSM-5 and a discussion of its potential advantages as an integrative hierarchical model of normal and abnormal personality structure.

Differentiating normal and disordered personality using the General Assessment of Personality Disorder (GAPD)

Criteria to differentiate personality disorder from extremes of normal personality variations are important given growing interest in dimensional classification because an extreme level of a personality dimension does not necessarily indicate disorder. The DSM-5 proposed classification of personality disorder offers a definition of general personality disorder based on chronic interpersonal and self/identity pathology. The ability of this approach to differentiate personality disorder from other mental disorders was evaluated using a self-report questionnaire, the General Assessment of Personality Disorder (GAPD). This measure was administered to a sample of psychiatric patients (N = 149) from different clinical sub-sites. Patients were divided into personality disordered and non-personality disordered groups on the basis of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). The results showed a hit rate of 82% correct identified patients and a good accuracy of the predicted model. There was a substantial agreement between SCID-II interview and GAPD personality disorder diagnoses. The GAPD appears to predict personality disorder in general, which provides support of the DSM-5 general diagnostic criteria of personality disorder.

Personality disorders in DSM-5

A substantive revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) last occurred in 1994; therefore, the mental health field should anticipate significant changes to the classification of mental disorders in the fifth edition. Since DSM-5 Work Groups have recently proposed revisions for the major diagnostic classes of mental disorders, an article on the current status of the personality disorders (PDs) is timely. This article reviews scientific principles that have influenced the development of proposed changes for the assessment and diagnosis of personality psychopathology in DSM-5, presents the proposed model as of the summer of 2011, summarizes rationales for the changes, and discusses critiques of the model. Scientific principles were articulated for DSM-5 more than a decade ago; their application to the process has not been straightforward, however. Work Group members have labored to improve the DSM-5 approach to personality and PDs to make the classification more valid and more clinically useful. The current model continues to be a work in progress.

DSM-5 Borderline personality disorder: At the border between a dimensional and a categorical view

Recently, the DSM-5 Personality Disorders Workgroup offered its proposed revision for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other personality disorder types ( http://www.dsm5.org ). According to the workgroup, this revision reflects an attempt to address excessive comorbidity among personality disorders, place personality pathology on continua, and replace individual behavioral criteria with personality traits. Essentially, the committee proposes a hybrid model of BPD (ie, categorical and dimensional)-one that combines the notion of a borderline "type" with supplemental dimensional ratings of relevant personality traits. In this article, we review recent findings on the dimensionality of BPD from phenotypic, genetic, and endophenotypic perspectives. Finally, we evaluate the current DSM-5 proposal for diagnosing BPD-one that ostensibly combines a categorical and dimensional perspective-in light of these findings.