Personality pathology in recurrent depression: nature, prevalence, and relationship to treatment response

Am J Psychiatry. 1988 Apr;145(4):435-41. doi: 10.1176/ajp.145.4.435.

Abstract

Personality assessments of 119 treatment-responsive patients with recurrent unipolar depression revealed that nearly half of the patients (48%) showed some personality disturbance. The most common personality features were avoidant (30.4%), compulsive (18.6%), and dependent (15.7%). Factor analyses of personality data in this homogeneous population yielded results that were consistent with previous factor analytic studies of personality features and clinical descriptions of depressed patients. Most notably, a discriminant function analysis using personality variables alone was able to distinguish (with 65% accuracy) between patients who responded normally to treatment and those who responded more slowly.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Depressive Disorder / complications*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Depressive Disorder / therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imipramine / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Personality Assessment
  • Personality Disorders / complications
  • Personality Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Personality Disorders / epidemiology
  • Personality Inventory
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Psychotherapy
  • Recurrence

Substances

  • Imipramine