Prevalence of personality disorders in the general adult population in Western countries: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundPersonality disorder is a severe health issue. However, the epidemiology of personality disorders is insufficiently described and surveys report very heterogeneous rates. AimsWe aimed to conduct a meta-analysis on the prevalence of personality disorders in adult populations and examine potential moderators that affect heterogeneity. MethodWe searched PsycINFO, PSYNDEX and Medline for studies that used standardised diagnostics (DSM-IV/-5, ICD-10) to report prevalence rates of personality disorders in community populations in Western countries. Prevalence rates were extracted and aggregated by random-effects models. Meta-regression and sensitivity analyses were performed and publication bias was assessed. ResultsThe final sample comprised ten studies, with a total of 113 998 individuals. Prevalence rates were fairly high for any personality disorder (12.16%; 95% CI, 8.01-17.02%) and similarly high for DSM Clusters A, B and C, between 5.53 (95% CI, 3.20-8.43%) and 7.23% (95% CI, 2.37-14.42%). Prevalence was highest for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (4.32%; 95% CI, 2.16-7.16%) and lowest for dependent personality disorder (0.78%; 95% CI, 0.37-1.32%). A low prevalence was significantly associated with expert-rated assessment (versus self-rated) and reporting of descriptive statistics for antisocial personality disorder. ConclusionsEpidemiological studies on personality disorders in community samples are rare, whereas prevalence rates are fairly high and vary substantially depending on samples and methods. Future studies investigating the epidemiology of personality disorders based on the DSM-5 and ICD-11 and models of personality functioning and traits are needed, and efficient treatment should be a priority for healthcare systems to reduce disease burden. Declaration of interestNone.

Prevalence and structure of self‐other problems in SAPAS screening for personality disorder in a National Sample

“…Our findings indicate that the self‐reported SAPAS‐SR features of impaired self/other functioning are pronounced in at least one out of ten individuals in the general community. This finding is largely consistent with meta‐analytic findings on the community prevalence of PDs, which suggests that our results might be representative. Generally, the SAPAS‐SR features were more pronounced in younger individuals, which is consistent with previous research on personality pathology .…”

“…We aimed to explore the community prevalence of general PD features, as measured with SAPAS‐SR, and how these are empirically organized in latent domains. Consistent with previous research on SAPAS along with a meta‐analysis of community prevalence of PDs, we hypothesized that a SAPAS‐SR score of at least four would indicate the likely presence of a PD in approximately 10–12% of cases. Consistent with previous findings from a small clinical sample, we hypothesized that the 8 essential SAPAS‐SR features would yield up to three recognizable latent domains of personality dysfunction.…”

“…Recent meta‐analytic evidence indicates that approximately 12.2% of the general adult population and at least 50% of psychiatric outpatients meet the diagnostic criteria for a PD. Moreover, PDs have been found to contribute substantially to the global burden of disease .…”

Recognition of personality disorder and anxiety disorder comorbidity in patients treated for depression in secondary psychiatric care

“…The expected frequency of personality disorders from medical records was hard to find from previous studies. Frequency in the general population has been calculated to around 12% [47]. Previous studies on frequency of personality disorders in clinical epidemiological studies have been low [48], in fact almost the same as for the general population.…”

Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Therapies for the Treatment of Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder

“…Point prevalence in community samples ranges from 0.7-3.9% (Trull, Jahng, Tomko, Wood, & Sher, 2010), lifetime prevalence is around 6% (Grant et al, 2008). In a recent meta-analysis with n = 66,914 included individuals from community samples of 9 studies in Western countries the prevalence rate was 1.90% (Volkert, Gablonski, & Rabung, 2018). Furthermore, BPD is the most common personality disorder in clinical populations, with prevalence rates of around 10% in outpatient and 15-25% in inpatient settings (Torgersen, 2005).…”