Clinician Perspectives of Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders Using DSM-5 Section III Dimensional Personality Traits

Abstract

The DSM-5 includes an alternative model for the diagnosis of personality disorders (PDs). Although there has been growing support for this model there has been little investigation into how it will be utilized by clinicians. The current study evaluated clinician perspectives of a “prototypical” individual with antisocial and borderline PD using Section III traits in a sample of 105 mental health professionals. Results showed that clinicians' perspectives of these disorders were generally consistent with the Section III trait operationalizations. Indeed, clinicians rated each trait facet as more prototypical than nonproposed facets. Similarly, they rated nonproposed facets as less prototypical than included facets for both disorders, with some exceptions for borderline PD. Furthermore, the authors found that these ratings were generally in statistical agreement with empirical associations between Section III traits and Section II PDs found in previous studies. Overall, results suggest support for the trait operationalizations of these disorders by clinicians.