Personality disorders are common among patients seeking psychiatric care and often coexist with axis I disorders.

This study aimed to determine personality disorders types and their sociodemographic and clinical features in a Tunisian psychiatric population.

A descriptive study in psychiatric outpatient unit of the university hospital Farhat Hached (Sousse, Tunisia). All five years (January 2000 to December 2004) first time attendances to the unit were retrospectively examined in order to identify those with diagnosis of personality disorder (DSM-IV criteria).

148 cases were selected and assessed: sociodemographic features, medical history, personality disorder type and axis I comorbidity. Assessment was based on patients files.

Cluster B types were the most frequent (54,7%), followed by cluster C (21,6%) then cluster A (9,4%). 14,1% of patients had non specified type.

Mean age was 32,84 ± 10,87 years, with predominance of female gender (52,7%)and urban residency (47,7%. 40,5% of patients were married, 60,2% had high school education level or more and 59% had a regular job.

Family history of psychotic disorders was found in 15,5% and of depressive disorder in 10,8%. Personal suicide attempts were noticed in 13,5%.

85,1% of patients had at least one current axis I disorder. The most common were depressive disorders (42,3%), substances abuse (18,5%), anxiety disorders (11,5%) and somatoform disorder (4,6%).

Our findings show sociodemographic and clinical profile of personality disorders in a Tunisian clinical population.