OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to investigate the rate of personality
disorders (axis II diagnoses in DSM-III-R) among adults at risk for AIDS.
METHOD: The Personality Disorder Examination was administered to 260
volunteers for HIV testing and counseling. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of
the subjects who subsequently tested seropositive for HIV and 20% of those
who tested seronegative were given DSM-III-R axis II diagnoses on the
Personality Disorder Examination. Thirty percent of the HIV-positive
subjects who knew their serostatus before they were tested were given
DSM-III-R axis II diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: The meaningful rates of axis II
diagnoses that preexisted determination of HIV status and the relation of
these diagnoses to subsequently determined serostatus underscore the
importance of adequately assessing the occurrence of personality disorder
in individuals at risk for HIV infection.Abstract Teaser