Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2009) 15: 389-397. doi: 10.1192/apt.bp.107.005389
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Assessment of personality disorder

Penny J. M. Banerjee, Simon Gibbon and Nick Huband

Penny J. M. Banerjee is a consultant forensic psychiatrist working in the Personality Disorder Service at East Midlands Centre for Forensic Mental Health. She also works as an honorary psychotherapist at Leicester Partnership NHS Trust. She is involved in the clinical assessment and treatment of male patients with a diagnosis of personality disorder and a history of offending or serious behavioural problems. Previous research includes evaluating the effectiveness of educating clients about their diagnosis of personality disorder. Simon Gibbon is a clinical lecturer in forensic psychiatry at the University of Nottingham and an honorary specialist registrar in forensic psychiatry with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. He has a particular interest in personality disorder and is currently working in a specialist medium secure unit which treats offenders with personality disorder. Nick Huband is a research fellow working in the Division of Psychiatry at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. His areas of interest are personality disorder and self- harm. His doctoral thesis was on mechanisms of self-harm. He has published research on treatment of personality disorder and been involved in systematic reviews on the subject.

Correspondence: Correspondence Dr Penny J. M. Banerjee, East Midlands Centre for Forensic Mental Health, Arnold Lodge, Cordelia Close, Leicester LE5 0LE. Email: penny.banerjee{at}nottshc.nhs.uk

In 2003 the Department of Health, in conjunction with the National Institute for Mental Health in England, outlined the government’s plan for the provision of mental health services for people with a diagnosis of personality disorder. This emphasised the need for practitioners to have skills in identifying, assessing and treating these disorders. It is important that personality disorders are properly assessed as they are common conditions that have a significant impact on an individual’s functioning in all areas of life. Individuals with personality disorder are more vulnerable to other psychiatric disorders, and personality disorders can complicate recovery from severe mental illness. This article reviews the classification of personality disorder and some common assessment instruments. It also offers a structure for the assessment of personality disorder.




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