Abstract
The current categorical classification of personality disorders, originally introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), has been found to suffer from numerous shortcomings that hamper its usefulness for research and for clinical application. The Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group for DSM-5 was charged with developing an alternative model that would address many of these concerns. The developed model involved a hybrid dimensional/categorical model that represented personality disorders as combinations of core impairments in personality functioning with specific configurations of problematic personality traits. The Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association did not accept the Task Force recommendation to implement this novel approach, and thus this alternative model was included in Sect. III of the DSM-5 among concepts requiring additional study. This review provides an overview of the emerging research on this alternative model, addressing each of the primary components of the model.
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Leslie C. Morey, Kathryn T. Benson, and Alexander J. Busch declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Andrew E. Skodol has received expert testimony fees from Lazarus & Associates. Dr. Skodol has also received honoraria payments from Penn State University, Brigham Young University, Global Medical Education, Arizona Psychiatric Society, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Norwegian Psychiatric Association, Wright State University, World Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychiatric Association. He has also received royalties from American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., and UpToDate as well as paid travel accommodations from Penn State University, Brigham Young University, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Norwegian Psychiatric Association, Wright State University, World Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.
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Morey, L.C., Benson, K.T., Busch, A.J. et al. Personality Disorders in DSM-5: Emerging Research on the Alternative Model. Curr Psychiatry Rep 17, 24 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0558-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0558-0