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Gender Bias in Diagnosing Personality Disorders

Ever since Freud, a lot more women than guys sought therapy. Consequently, terms like "hysteria' are intimately connected to female physiology and alleged female psychology. The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the bible in the psychiatric profession) expressly professes gender bias: personality disorders including Borderline and Histrionic are supposed to become far more typical among girls. however the DSM is rather even-handed: other character problems (e.g., the Narcissistic and Antisocial at the same time as the Schizotypal, Obsessive-Compulsive, Schizoid, and Paranoid) are a lot more prevalent amongst males.
Why this gender disparity? You can find a number of attainable answers:
Perhaps character disorders usually are not objective clinical entities, but culture-bound syndromes. In other words, probably they reflect biases and value judgments. Some patriarchal societies are also narcissistic. They emphasize qualities like individualism and ambition, typically identified with virility. Therefore the preponderance of pathological narcissism amongst men. Ladies, however, are extensively believed to be emotionally labile and clinging. That is why most Borderlines and Dependents are females.
Upbringing and environment, the method of socialization and cultural mores all play an essential role within the pathogenesis of character problems. These views usually are not fringe: severe scholars (e.g., Kaplan and Pantony, 1991) claim that the mental overall health profession is inherently sexist.
Then once again, genetics might be is at perform. Men and women do differ genetically. This might account for the variability from the occurrence of particular personality disorders in men and women.
Some of the diagnostic criteria are ambiguous and even deemed "normal" by the majority in the population. Histrionics "consistently use physical look to draw attention to self." Well, who doesn't in Western society? Why when a lady clings to a man it's labeled "codependence", but when a man relies on a lady to sustain his property, care for his youngsters, pick his attire, and prop his ego it really is "companionship" (Walker, 1994)?
The significantly less structured the interview along with the a lot more fuzzy the diagnostic criteria, the more the diagnostician relies on stereotypes (Widiger, 1998).
Quotes from the Literature
"Specifically, past research suggests that exploitive tendencies and open displays of feelings of entitlement will likely be significantly less integral to narcissism for females than for males. For females such displays may possibly carry a higher possibility of damaging social sanctions since they would violate stereotypical gender-role expectancies for women, that are anticipated to engage in such good social behavior as becoming tender, compassionate, warm, sympathetic, sensitive, and understanding.
In females, Exploitiveness/Entitlement is less well-integrated together with the other elements of narcissism as measured by the Narcissistic Character Inventory (NPI) - Leadership/Authority, Self-absorption/Self-admiration, and Superiority/Arrogance- than in males - even though 'male and female narcissists normally showed striking similarities in the manner in which many of the facets of narcissism have been integrated with each and every other'."
Gender differences inside the structure of narcissism: a multi-sample evaluation in the narcissistic character inventory - Brian T. Tschanz, Carolyn C. Morf, Charles W. Turner - Sex Roles: A Journal of Investigation - Problem: Might, 1998
"Women leaders are evaluated negatively if they exercise their authority and are perceived as autocratic."
Eagly, A. H., Makhijani, M. G., & Klonsky, B. G. (1992). Gender and also the evaluation of leaders: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 3-22, and ...
Butler, D., & Gels, F. L. (1990). Nonverbal affect responses to male and female leaders: Implications for leadership evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 48-59.
"Competent females must also appear to become sociable and likable in order to influence men - males must only appear to be competent to achieve the same results with both genders."
Carli, L. L., Lafleur, S. J., & Loeber, C. C. (1995). Nonverbal behavior, gender, and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 1030-1041.