Abstract
This book contains five large chapters and is a textbook for researchers interested in the area of biological aspects of personality disorders (PD). The last two chapters on the management of PD and the significance of biological research in PD, may be one of some interest to a general clinician. However, the first three chapters contain mostly fairly turgid neurotransmitter theories, neuroendocrine aspects and functional imaging studies. Unfortunately, the first part of the book does not clearly distinguish between the different types of PD, and the biological substrates subsequently examined. For example, in Chapter 2 titled ‘New Biological Research Strategies for Personality Disorders’, considerable focus is placed on biological studies of posttraumatic stress disorder. The rationale for this is that borderline personality disorder has been conceptualised as a type of trauma-related disorder. While this concept is interesting, a large proportion of this chapter is given to following up this theory with a very small study comprising 14 subjects. Other personality disorders receive little or no attention and if the literature is lacking, then this is not clearly stated. Abbreviations abound in this book and they make it difficult to easily read this book. Cloninger's chapter on the genetics and psychobiology of the seven-factor model of personality is well-organised and draws together aspects of temperament character and personality with the neurobiology of learning and behaviour. Neurogenetics as related to reward and behaviour is clearly detailed and interesting.
Overall, this book is an interesting review of biological studies in personality disorders but is a highly specialised text.