Background: Data from Turkey on prevalence of personality disorders (PD) in the normal population are sparse.

Aims: The present study conducted in a community sample aimed to investigate personality disorders in terms of prevalence, associated risk factors and personality dimensions.

Methods: A stratified sampling procedure allowed us to compose a sample consisting of 774 participants residing in Aydin, Turkey. The DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Questionnaire (DIP-Q) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were used to assess PDs and personality dimensions, respectively.

Results: Roughly 20% of the participants received a PD diagnosis. Among the individual PD categories, schizotypal and obsessive-compulsive PDs were the most prevalent diagnoses. Participants with PD were more likely to have higher self-directedness and cooperativeness scores. These risk factors and personality dimensions were most strongly associated with the cluster B disorders.

Conclusion: New versions of the diagnostic systems should include schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive and cluster B PDs as separate diagnostic categories, and impaired self-directedness as well as cooperativeness as a general diagnostic criterion for the sake of backward and forward compatibility of the research in this field.