Assessment, diagnosis and formulation

Whilst essential, diagnosis should constitute only part of a broader formulation of an individual’s situation, their condition and their needs.  It can take three to four sessions to assess and formulate. It is more important to identify early in the process the presence of personality disorder and assess severity than subtype into specific personality categories. Personality disorder presents with certain symptoms which are predicated upon the interaction of an individuals personality traits and environment. It is important to assess both symptoms and traits.

Please note that this section largely refers to the ICD-10 framework with respect to diagnosis. This section is currently under review and will be updated to use the successor to ICD-10, ICD-11. Using this section in the meantime should not pose any significant risk to patient care as use of the older system should not impact upon treatment pathways.