The clinical utility of the ICD-11 classification of personality disorders and related traits: A preliminary scoping review

Objectives: A diagnostic system that fails to deliver clinically useful information will not be utilized and consequently will be unable to provide valuable data for health policy and clinical decision making. Therefore, it is imperative to obtain an accurate depiction of the clinical utility of the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) Personality Disorder (PD) model. The current mixed-methods systematic review aimed to determine the clinical utility of the ICD-11 PD classification system. Method: An electronic screening of six databases was conducted and resulting studies were subjected to specific exclusion criteria, which elicited eight studies of interest. Study characteristics were tabulated and methodological quality was appraised. Results: Four studies offered strong support for the model’s clinical utility, three offered some support accompanied by notable limitations and one study could only offer criticisms. Conclusion: Future investigation of the ICD-11 PD classification system’s (a) communicative value between clinicians and their patients, and between clinicians and their patient’s families; (b) ease of use; and (c) feasibility in terms of practical application is required to achieve a complete understanding of its clinical utility and ultimately bring clarity to the current ambiguous findings.