Personality difficulty: A useful addition to the literature on personality disturbance

Abstract

The term personality difficulty has become part of the personality disorders and related traits section of the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. People with this condition make great use of health services as it can be associated with distress and poor social functioning. In the WHO guidebook, Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Requirements for ICD-11 Mental, Behavioural and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CDDR) (2024) personality difficulty is included to aid clinicians in diagnosing mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is not a diagnosis but has a formal code (QE 50.7) as a ‘problem associated with interpersonal interactions’. The use of this subsyndromal condition is currently uncertain and, in some quarters, may be challenged, but it is an essential part of the dimensional classification of personality dysfunction and is likely to help in overcoming the stigma around personality issues.