Eight other researchers also contributed to the project. The team analyzed 1,203 comprehensive personality interviews conducted at the UI and five other institutions in the United States, Canada and Italy to determine which questions among hundreds would best screen for personality disorders. These seem to be common underlying problems for most people with personality disorders. The validation interviews showed that five of the questions are particularly effective at indicating whether a person is likely to have a personality disorder. Langbehn cautioned that not everyone who answers an isolated question positively has a personality disorder.
Personality disorders are long-term problems.
The UI team will use the brief screen in a future study, and the University of Missouri plans to use it in a study on the psychiatric problems and needs of people who are HIV positive. The screen is also being considered for inclusion in a large national survey that periodically estimates the frequency of various health problems in Americans. But we hope this short screen, which should be easy to include in the clinical setting, will help non-specialists identify people who have a high probability of having a personality disorder. The information could help health care professionals carry out further assessment or make appropriate referrals. The IPDS findings were published in the spring issue of the Journal of Personality Disorders.