Patient versus informant reports of personality disorders in forensic patients

Forensic assessment of personality disorders (PDs) is often hampered by patients' invalid self-reports. A less frequently used alternative in forensic settings is basing PD diagnoses on information provided by knowledgeable informants. Our research examined whether patients and informants in forensic settings differ in how they view PD symptoms, and whether that changes over time. For the purpose of our study, we adapted the informant version of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2nd Edition (SNAP-2) for forensic settings. Twenty-four male forensic inpatients with DSM-IV PDs were assessed with the informant SNAP-FI (completed by three treatment providers per patient) and a self-report version, the SNAP-FP. The SNAP-FI and SNAP-FP scales showed acceptable to excellent reliability. Across all time points, the SNAP-FI revealed more PD pathology than did the SNAP-FP. These initial findings support the value of informant reports in PD assessment in forensic settings.