This study by Morten Hesse and Birgitte Thylstrup examines the inter-rater agreement of comorbid DSM-IV personality disorders in substance abusers. The researchers assessed 75 patients with substance use disorders using both DSM-IV criteria and rating scales representing the severity of each disorder. The results showed moderate convergent validity for cluster B disorders rated with DSM-IV criteria and moderate discriminant validity for eight out of ten personality disorders. However, the convergent validity of the rating scales was only moderate for antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder. The study suggests that dimensional ratings can be used in research and clinical practice with caution and as one of several sources of information to describe a patient's personality. The authors conclude that clinicians' ratings of personality disorders are reliable, except for schizoid and avoidant personality disorders, which may be more challenging to identify due to their introverted and interpersonal withdrawal traits.This study by Morten Hesse and Birgitte Thylstrup examines the inter-rater agreement of comorbid DSM-IV personality disorders in substance abusers. The researchers assessed 75 patients with substance use disorders using both DSM-IV criteria and rating scales representing the severity of each disorder. The results showed moderate convergent validity for cluster B disorders rated with DSM-IV criteria and moderate discriminant validity for eight out of ten personality disorders. However, the convergent validity of the rating scales was only moderate for antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder. The study suggests that dimensional ratings can be used in research and clinical practice with caution and as one of several sources of information to describe a patient's personality. The authors conclude that clinicians' ratings of personality disorders are reliable, except for schizoid and avoidant personality disorders, which may be more challenging to identify due to their introverted and interpersonal withdrawal traits.