Estimated the prevalence of personality disorder (PD) among primary health care (PHC) patients, and investigated the characteristic features of the International Personality Disorder Examination, the International Classification of Diseases module (IPDE ICD-10). A sample (n=158; aged 20-65 yrs) of PHC patients in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates were interviewed by general practitioners using the Arabic version of the IPDE ICD-10. Patients interviewed were 82 males and 76 females. Definite PD was identified in 12.7%. Prevalence rates among males and females were 9.8 and 15.8% consecutively. Commonest personality disorders were the schizoid (5.1%), anankastic (4.4%) and the emotionally unstable, borderline type (3.8%). Comorbidity of PD was manifested by 30% of definite PD patients. The mean dimensional scores of definite and probable PD patients were 5.6 and 4.3 consecutively. The authors conclude that the IPDE-ICD-10 is useful but relatively time consuming with repetition and need of rephrasing in some items. Dimensional measurement proved essential.