Multidimensional personality diagnostics.

Personality disorders impose a huge impact on medical care and on society. These disorders are disabling and without treatment they follow a chronic course. Treatment is often challenging, takes a lot of time and relapse is high. Above all this, personality disorders interfere with treatment of co morbid psychiatric and medical conditions.

Assessment of personality disorders can be done by (hetero) anamnesis, supplemented by a semi-structured interview like SCID II (based on DSM IV-TR criteria). Based on the acquired data a DSM Axis II classification, necessary for Diagnose Behandel Combinatie (DBC - Diagnose Treatment Combination) can be made. However the DSM shows a lot of diagnostic heterogeneity is very little precise and offers not many tools for relationship advice due to professional jargon.



Objective of the study:

Hypothesis: It is possible to make a reliable and valid prediction of the type personality disorder proposed by future DSM V, using the multidimensional test combination VTCI, NEO-FFI and CISS.

The goal of this study is to create a short, multidimensional, evidence based protocol for personality assessment, for the health services in order to make valid statements about the type and severity of personality disorder as proposed by the future DSM V: antisocial/psychopathic, avoidant, borderline, obsessive compulsive and schizotypical type. In addition it provides the possibility to create a strength and weaknesses analysis on behalve of treatment and psycho educational purposes. The mentioned dimensional approach, suggest that attention is directed to maladaptive characteristics as well as compensatory and adaptive aspects.



Study design:

Observational study without any invasive measurements.



Study population:

Participants starting or undergoing treatment at one of the PsyQ facilities (Heerlen, personality disorders), and outpatients undergoing assessment; 18-65 years old, fluently Dutch speaking.



Primary study parameters/outcome of the study:

A semi structured interview (SCID II) compared with three selfreport questionnaires (VTCI, NEO-FFI and CISS) in order to make reliable and valid statements about type and severity of personality disorder.

We want to establish an abbreviated, multidimensional, evidence based, diagnostic personalityprotocol within the mental health services.

The hypothesis is that the mutidimensional testcombination of VTCI, NEO-FFI and CISS is sufficient reliable and valid to predict whether we state of one of the proposed DSM V personality disorders.

A small subgroup will fill in the questionnaires for a second time two months later.

Assesment:

1. Semi-structured interview SCID II;

2. Self-report questionnaires: NEO-FFI, VTCI, CISS.