Endophenotypes and the diagnosis of personality disorders.

It has been suggested that psychiatric diagnosis should come to depend on endophenotypes, in order to define more precisely the mechanisms behind mental disorders. This construct is associated with the assumption that mental processes can be reduced to activity at a neuronal level. The approach has had a strong influence on the conceptual basis of proposals for DSM-5, but could be consistent either with categorical or dimensional diagnosis. However, application of endophenotypes to personality disorders is unlikely for the foreseeable future, given an insufficient knowledge of etiology and pathogenesis.