Background. The International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) has been developed as a
standardized interview for personality disorders. While it has good psychometric properties, its
length makes it difficult to use in the community in population research, particularly outside
psychiatric settings. The informant-based Standard Assessment of Personality (SAP), which has
been in use since 1981, could serve as a valid screen to detect likely personality disordered
individuals who would then receive a definitive diagnosis by IPDE. This study aimed to compare
the two instruments in their capacity to detect personality disorder according to ICD-10 taxonomy
and to estimate the efficiency of the use of the two together in a case-finding exercise.
Method. Ninety psychiatric out-patients in Bangalore, India, were assessed for personality disorder
using the two methods. Assessment was conducted by a pair of trained interviewers in random order
and by random allocation to interviewer.
Results. Overall agreement between the two instruments in the detection of ICD-10 personality
disorder was modest (kappa = 0·4). The level of agreement varied according to personality
category, ranging from kappa 07·66 (dependent) to kappa 0·09 (dyssocial). The SAP proved to have
a high negative predictive value (97%) for IPDE as the gold standard, suggesting its potential as
a screen in samples where the expected prevalence of personality disorder is low.
Conclusion. A two-stage approach to epidemiological studies of personality disorder may be
practicable.