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Personality Disorder E005

Document
Last amended 
5 March 2018
Current RMA Instruments
Reasonable Hypothesis SOP
17 of 2018
Balance of Probabilities SOP
18 of 2018
Changes from previous Instruments

SOP Bulletin 201

ICD Coding
  • ICD-9-CM Codes: 301.0,301.12,301.2-301.9
  • ICD-10-AM Codes: F60.0, F60.1, F21, F60.2, F60.31, F60.4, F60.8, F60.6, F60.7, F60.5, F60.9
Brief description

A personality disorder is a long-term pattern of thinking, behaviour and emotion that causes distress and makes it difficult to function in everyday life.  People may have personality traits that align with subtypes of personality disorder, but do not have a personality disorder unless they have significant functional impairment or subjective distress.

Confirming the diagnosis

A report from a specialist psychiatrist that conforms with the Repatriation Commission Guidelines for Psychiatric Compensation Claims is required for diagnosis.

Additional diagnoses covered by SOP
  • Cluster A Personality Disorder
  • Cluster B Personality Disorder
  • Cluster C Personality Disorder
  • Anti-Social Personality Disorder
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Dependent Personality Disorder
  • Histrionic Personality Disorder
  • Narcissistic Personality Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
  • Paranoid Personality Disorder
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Conditions that may be covered by SOP (More information required)
  • Explosive Personality Disorder/ Impulsive Type Personality Disorder/ Aggressive Personality Disorder
  • Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder

These are not DSM-5 diagnoses. Further information should be sought from the diagnosing psychiatrist as to whether the diagnosed condition is a DSM-5 personality disorder.

Conditions excluded from SOP
  • A Personality trait - not a disease or injury
  • Enduring personality change after catastrophic experience#
  • Enduring personality change after psychiatric illness#
  • Frontal lobe syndrome#
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder#
  • Organic Personality Syndrome#
  • Personality and behavioural disorders due to brain disease, damage and dysfunction
  • Personality change due to a general medical condition#
  • Post-concussional syndrome - not a disease or injury
  • Post-encephalitic syndrome#
  • Symptoms that may develop in association with chronic substance abuse

* Another SOP applies

# Non-SOP condition

Clinical onset

Onset will be in adolescence or early adulthood, but the condition may not come to medical attention until later in life.

Clinical worsening

Prognosis varies with the sub-type but overall personality disorders tend to be stable or improve slowly with age.  Treatments are generally ineffective.  Clinical worsening may be evidenced by an enduring increase in the level of functional impairment or distress.