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Personality disorder in substance misusing populations

First published: 10 May 2019 | Last updated: 20 May 2019

Many clinicians consider patients with personality disorder and substance misuse to be particularly complex. Diagnostic uncertainty and a lack of widely available, effective treatments contribute to therapeutic pessimism.

The diagnosis of personality disorder in patients with active substance misuse is undoubtedly challenging however the presenter will argue that successful identification is important and should significantly influence treatment planning.

The session will outline the diagnostic challenges and possible solutions before reviewing the epidemiology in both substance misuse and general mental health populations. The session will conclude with a discussion of the evidence base supporting treatment.

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Professor Owen Bowden-Jones

Consultant Psychiatrist and Honorary Professor


Professor Owen Bowden-Jones is a Consultant in Addiction Psychiatry at the CNWL Club Drug Clinic, London, and an Honorary Professor at University College London.

In 2010, Owen founded the CNWL Club Drug Clinic, an innovative service offering treatment for emerging drug problems including novel psychoactive substances, club drugs, online purchased prescription medications, and chemsex. The service has since expanded to provide treatment within local sexual health services and universities.

National roles include Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge, board member at the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs, and special adviser to the Universities UK drugs taskforce.

Owen is the past-Chair of the Faculty of Addictions, Royal College of Psychiatrists, and was previously a national clinical adviser to Public Health England. He has been an adviser to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

His research interests include emerging drugs harms, particularly in young people, and with colleagues has produced the NEPTUNE clinical guidance and associated learning resources.

In 2023, Owen was honoured to be elected President of the Society for the Study of Addiction.

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