The use of Schneider's typology for the diagnosis of personality disorders--an examination of reliability.

Schneider's typology of the personality disorders is described briefly. Three psychiatrists made diagnoses on two sets of patients, both of which contained one example of each type. The diagnoses were made with the help of a glossary and based upon the examination of clinical summaries and audio-recordings. Values of two reliability coefficients showed considerable variation between types. High reliability was found for Schneider's asthenic, explosive, depressive and affectionless types. Low reliability was found for the fanatic, labile and hyperthymic types. The insecure and attention-seeking types were overused. Some possible causes of this variation are discussed.