Personality Disorder in Culture: Clinical and Conceptual Interactions

From our regular book review column.

The conceptualization and understanding of personality disorders constitute one of the most complex and difficult challenges for psychiatric clinicians and theoreticians alike. While some mental health professionals perceive personality disorders as distinct clinical entities, others see them primarily as manifestations of behavioral styles. Thus, the understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of personality disorders represented a major endeavor for the group of professionals who produced the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).