Personality Disorders among Patients with Mental and Behavioral Disorders due to Psychoactive Substance Use in a Tertiary Care Center of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Personality disorders is comprised of deeply ingrained and enduring behavioral patterns, manifesting themselves as inflexible responses to a broad range of personal and social situations.” Personality Disorders are frequently occurring among patients with substance use disorders. Co-occurrence of substance use disorders and personality disorder is associated with a greater functional impairment affecting treatment adherence. This study's objective was to find out the prevalence of personality disorders among substance use disorders from the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, of a tertiary care center of Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done at the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Shree Birendra Hospital, Chhauni, Kathmandu, Nepal. The ethical approval was approved by the Institutional Review Committee prior to the study. The International Personality Disorder Examination ICD-10 module interview schedule was used to determine personality disorders. There were 100 patients, 86 males and 14 females of age ranging between 18-59 years, from different education levels, socioeconomic statuses, and ethnicities. RESULTS: Of the total 100 patients, 63% of the patients with substance use disorders were found to have either single 24 (24%) or multiple 39 (39%) personality disorders. The most frequently identified disorders were Emotionally Unstable Borderline Type 34 (34%), Anxious Personality Disorder 27 (27%), Emotionally Unstable Impulsive Type 27 (27%). CONCLUSIONS: Present study indicates that personality disorders were highly comorbid with patients of substance use disorders with either single or multiple personality disorders. Personality disorders mostly found in substance use disorders are Emotional Unstable Borderline Type, Anxious Personality Disorder, and Emotional Unstable impulsive Type.