Comments concerning Iverach, et al., Screening for personality disorders among adults seeking speech treatment for stuttering [J. Fluency Disorders 34 (2009) 173-186

Iverach, Jones, O’Brian, Block, Lincoln, and Harrison (2009) indicate the high co-occurrence of one or more Personality Disorders (PD) for adults who stutter. The findings of Iverach et al. argue against many years of research and the experiences of skilled clinicians who have considered the relationship between stuttering and anxiety/negative affectivity. The results of Iverach et al. are questioned based on several methodological issues.Educational objectives: 1. To explain why the unusually high occurrence of personality disorders (PD) for individuals who stutter found by Iverach et al. (2009) may be questionable based on methodological approach. 2. To explain the heightened levels of anxiety experienced by many individuals who stutter as a natural and reasonable response to a chronic and serious problem such as stuttering. 3. To debate the potential for the inaccurate diagnosis of Axis II Personality Disorders to unnecessarily stigmatize individuals who stutter.