Social Phobia and Personality Disorder: Severity of Complaint and Treatment Effectiveness

Thirty-four patients meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia participated in a study on the relationship between per sonality disorder, symptom pattern, and treatment outcome. Eight patients (23.5%) were diagnosed with a personality disor der; 26 patients did not receive an Axis II diagnosis. Half of both groups received either an integrated treatment (rational emotive therapy, social skills training, and exposure in vivo) or exposure in vivo alone. Conclusions are that patients with a personality disorder have more serious symptoms compared to patients without a personality disorder, but benefit equally from the treatments offered.