Background: No systematic reviews have been conducted into the prevalence of personality disorders (PD) in Asian populations. This review aims to investigate the prevalence of all PD subtypes within community and clinical Asian (Chinese, Indian, Japanese and South Korean) populations worldwide.
Method: Seven databases were searched in addition to manual examination and reference tracking. Exclusion criteria were applied with the remaining studies subjected to quality appraisal.
Results: Nineteen studies were included for review. Results were grouped by community studies in Asian countries, clinical studies in Asian countries and comparative studies. Prevalence of PD assessed by clinical judgement was lower than that by diagnostic tools. The highest rates of PD were found in suicidal cohorts within the various countries. Four of the five comparative studies found lower prevalence rates of PD in Asians compared with the overall sample.
Conclusion: Insufficient consistent research has been published to ascertain the prevalence of PD in Asians and whether it is higher or lower than in Western cohorts. Asians presenting with suicidal ideation may benefit from PD assessment.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.