THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PERSONALITY-DISORDERS - A 1990 UPDATE

An update is presented of the rates and associated factors of Axis II personality disorders based on community surveys or large samples of relatives. The data are best for antisocial personality, which suggest a lifetime rate of 2/100-3/100 in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, and a considerably lower rate in Taiwan. The overall lifetime rate of an Axis II disorder is in the range about 10/100-13/100. Paranoid, schizoid, and narcissistic personality disorders seem fairly uncommon, with a life-time rate of less than 1/100. While the data are still quite limited for most disorders, they do demonstrate that epidemiologic information is emerging. Methodologic problems and recommendations for future directions are discussed.