| Personality disorders |
|---|
| DSM-5 classification |
Cluster A (odd or eccentric) Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, or erratic) Cluster C (anxious or fearful) Other personality disorders |
| ICD-11 classification |
Personality disorder Prominent traits or patterns |
| Others |
For the diagnosis ofpersonality disorders, diagnostic frameworks such as theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and theInternational Classification of Diseases (ICD) have residual diagnostic categories for diagnosis of conditions which do not align well with specific PD diagnoses or for situations where information is lacking.
TheDSM-5 defines two personality disorder diagnoses, namelyOther specified personality disorder andUnspecified personality disorder, along withPersonality change due to another medical condition underOther personality disorders.[1] TheICD-10 also contains similar categories, namely,Other specific personality disorder andPersonality disorder, unspecified.
Additionally, in theAlternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders, the DSM-5 introduced the diagnosisPersonality disorder - trait specified (PD-TS) as an alternative to let clinicians define the presentation in detail, in terms of "impairment of personality functioning" and "pathological personality traits".[2]
Personality disorder not otherwise specified (PD-NOS) was asubclinical[a] diagnostic classification for someDSM-IVAxis IIpersonality disorders not listed in DSM-IV.[3] The DSM-5 transitioned from NOS diagnoses toother specified andunspecified in order to "enhance diagnostic specificity".[4] The diagnoses in the DSM-5 are not direct equivalents to PD-NOS.
In all cases of non-specific diagnoses it is a requirement that the person meet thegeneral criteria for personality disorders.
The ICD-10 defines the diagnosisOther specific personality disorder (F60.8) for personality disorders that don't have a separate code. This diagnosis allows the following type specifiers: "eccentric", "haltlose", "immature", "narcissistic", "passive-aggressive", and "psychoneurotic". The DSM-5 contains the similarly named diagnosisOther Specified Personality Disorder (301.89; F60.89), which is used when recording the presence of personality disorder along with the reasons for the condition not being classified as one of the specific personality disorders.[1]
The ICD-10 containsPersonality disorder, unspecified (F60.9) for general personality disorder diagnoses. The DSM-5 diagnosis ofUnspecified Personality Disorder (301.9; F60.9) is, according to the DSM-5, used when a patient presents with personality disorder symptoms that cause distress or impairment, but the clinician either chooses not to indicate the specific reason these criteria are not met for any one disorder, or there isn’t enough information available to make a more precise diagnosis.[1]
This diagnosis was part of theDSM-IV-TR, and could be assigned when no other personality disorder in the DSM fit the patient's symptoms.[5] This diagnosis is not included in subsequent (DSM-5 andDSM-5-TR) editions of the DSM. The DSM-IV-TR excluded four personality disorders, but this diagnosis may be used instead. The four excluded personality disorders are:
In theInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 11th Edition ICD-11 of theWorld Health Organization (WHO), all personality disorders are diagnosed under a single title called "personality disorder” (6D10). The criteria for diagnosis are mainly concerned with assessing dysfunction, distress, and maladaptive behavior. Once a diagnosis has been made, the clinician then can draw upon fivetrait domains (prominent personality traits or patterns;6D11) to describe the particular causes of dysfunction, as these have major implications for potential treatments.[6] The unspecified PD diagnosis in the ICD-11 isPersonality disorder, severity unspecified (6D10.Z).
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: This section should contain epidemiology of other diagnoses than just PD-NOS, efter the scope of the article was expanded. You can help byadding to it.(April 2025) |
TheNational Comorbidity Survey Replication estimated the prevalence of PD-NOS in the general population at around 1.6% (0.3-2.9%). Comorbidity measures indicated a strong association withantisocial personality disorder (and generally Cluster B), moderate association withobsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and strong negative association withschizoid anddependent personality disorders.[7]
A 2004 meta-analysis estimated the prevalence of PD-NOS in patient samples between 8-13%. In structured interview studies it is the third most common diagnosis given, in unstructured studies it is the single most frequent diagnosis. Half the studies did not give further definition for the diagnosis, and those that did used "mixed" most often.[8]
In another study, out of 1760 psychotherapy referrals, 21.6% was diagnosed exclusively with PD-NOS. In terms of severity, patients with PD-NOS fell between a formal personality disorder diagnosis and no personality disorder. Patients who received PD-NOS as an additional diagnosis to their formal personality disorder diagnosis had the most severe problems.[9]