The prevalence of personality disorder among ethnic minorities: findings from a national household survey

Studies that have examined the ethnicity of people with personality disorder (PD) in contact with mental health services have generally reported that those from ethnic minorities are under‐represented. However, the relationship between ethnicity and PD in the community is unclear. We therefore conducted a secondary analysis of data from a national household survey of people living in Great Britain to compare levels of PD among people from different ethnic backgrounds. Personality was assessed using the SCID‐II screening questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for the likelihood of people from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority groups having PD. Compared with White subjects, PD was more prevalent among people from Black (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.07–1.96) and other ethnic minority groups (OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.07–2.10). These data suggest that in Great Britain, PD is at least as prevalent among Black and other minority ethnic groups as it is among White people. Further efforts need to be made to ensure that people with PD have access to suitable services regardless of their ethnicity.