Dimensional Models Of Personality Disorders: Refining The Research Agenda For Dsm-v
by Thomas A. Widiger /
2006 / English / PDF
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DSM-IV and ICD-10 both diagnose personality disorders categorically, yet studies indicate that many patients meet criteria for an excessive number of diagnoses, raising the question of whether personality disorders are discrete conditions or rather distinctions along dimensions of general personality functioning. This collection of papers renews long-standing proposals for a dimensional model of personality disorder, describing alternative models, addressing questions about their clinical application and utility, and suggesting that future research seek to integrate such models within a common hierarchical structure.
Although the editors acknowledge that concerns are certain to be raised regarding conversion to a dimensional classification such as the disruption to clinical practice by a radical shift in diagnosing personality disorder these papers make a strong case for opening the field to alternative ways of enhancing clinical utility and improving the validity of basic classification concepts. Together, they offer stimulating insight into how we approach personality disorders, with the hope of encouraging a new model of diagnosis for DSM-V.
