In assessing a personality disorder, which item would not be included?

• A. The presence of hallucinations.
• B. Impulsivity.
• C. Interpersonal difficulties.
• D. A stable pattern of behavior.

Answer: (A)

When evaluating a personality disorder, you’re looking for a long-standing, pervasive pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that spills into multiple areas of life and causes impairment. Hallucinations are perceptual disturbances typically signaling a psychotic process, not a core feature of personality disorders, so they would not be included as a diagnostic criterion in a PD assessment. In contrast, impulsivity, interpersonal difficulties, and a stable pattern of behavior all reflect the enduring, cross-situational dysfunction that characterizes personality disorders. Therefore, the presence of hallucinations is the element that would not be included in assessing a personality disorder.