1060 – The Role Of Clinical And Dimensional Personality Factors On Chronic Medical Comorbidty In Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Introduction

Major depressive disorder, the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in general population, raises a series of clinical challenges, chronic medical comorbidity being regular one.

Objectives

Our main objective was to analyze the weight of anxiety and depressive symptoms levels, and that of premorbid personality traits, in co-occurrence of medical diseases in subjects with major depressive disorder.

Methods

A cross-sectional research was performed on 32 inpatient subjects admitted in Timisoara Psychiatric Clinic during 2010 - 2012 with major depressive disorder. Anxiety symptoms level were self-assessed with Beck Anxiety Inventory and depressive symptoms level were self-assessed with Beck Depression Inventory. Temperament and character personality traits were self-assessed using Cloninger TCI tool, which was administrated once that clinical remission has occurred.

Results

Majority of studied subjects (71%) have had at least one comorbid chronic medical diseases. Despite the results of other studies, the level of depressive and anxiety symptoms has no significant impact in medical comorbidity occurrence. Major depressive subjects with medical comorbidity, have had significant higher scores in Harm Avoidance, more exactly in Shyness with Strangers (p = 0.007) and Fatigability (p = 0.013). Significant higher total scores were revealed, in the same subjects, for all three character dimensions like as Self-Directedness (p = 0.004), Cooperativeness (p = 0.039) and Self-Transcendence (p = 0.030).

Conclusions

According to our research results, rather than temporary clinical symptoms constituting clinical picture of subjects with major depression there is possible that premorbid personality traits could weigh more significant to the appearance of medical comorbid conditions.