Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:48:01.349Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Does Personality Predict Long-Term Outcome in Depression?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Conor F. Duggan*
Affiliation:
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry
Alan S. Lee
Affiliation:
University Hospital, Nottingham
Robin M. Murray
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College Hospital
*
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5

Abstract

In 1965/66, a consecutive series of 89 in-patients with depression were interviewed, given two personality tests (the EPI and LOI), and were accorded a score on a neurotic-psychotic continuum (Dl). Eighteen years later, the series was followed up and the predictive power of the original data was determined. High neuroticism scores on the EPI on recovery and particularly when ill but referring to the pre-morbid state were associated with poor overall outcome and chronicity. High obsessional interference scores on the LOI on recovery were also associated with poor long-term outcome, impaired social adjustment, more time spent in hospital, and with the subsequent development of schizophrenic or schizoaffective episodes. High psychotic scores on the Dl were also associated with poor long-term outcome, a greater length of time spent in hospital, and with bipolar affective disorder, and this effect was independent of the personality measures.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akiskal, H. S., Hirschfeld, R. M. A. & Yervanian, B. I. (1983) The relationship of personality to affective disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 40, 801810.Google Scholar
Angst, J. (1988) Clinical course of affective disorders. In Depressive Illness: Prediction of Course and Outcome (eds T. Helgason & R. J. Daly). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Bielski, R. J. & Friedel, R. O. (1976) Prediction of tricyclic antidepressant response. Archives of General Psychiatry, 33, 14791489.Google Scholar
Charney, D. S., Nelson, C. J. & Quinlan, D. M. (1981) Personality tests and disorder in depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 16011604.Google Scholar
Chodoff, P. (1972) The depressive personality: a critical review. Archives of General Psychiatry, 27, 666673.Google Scholar
Clifford, C. A., Murray, R. M. & Fulker, D. W. (1984) Genetic and environmental influences on obsessional traits and symptoms. Psychological Medicine, 14, 791800.Google Scholar
Cooper, J. (1970) The Leyton Obsessional Inventory. Psychological Medicine, 1, 4864.Google Scholar
Endicott, J., Spitzer, R., Fleiss, J., et al (1976) The Global Assessment Scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 33, 766771.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1964) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. London: University of London Press.Google Scholar
Fenton, W. & McGlashan, T. H. (1986) The prognostic significance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 437441.Google Scholar
Gittleson, N. L. (1966) The effect of obsessions on depressive psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 112, 253259.Google Scholar
Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Klerman, G. L., Clayton, P. J., et al (1983a) Personality and depression – empirical findings. Archives of General Psychiatry, 40, 993998.Google Scholar
Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Klerman, G. L., Clayton, P. J., et al (1983b) Assessing personality: effects of the depressed state on trait measurement. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 695699.Google Scholar
Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Klerman, G. L., Andreasen, N. C., et al (1986) Psychosocial predictors of chronicity in depressed patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 648654.Google Scholar
Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Cross, C. K. (1987) The measurement of personality in depression. In The Measurement of Depression (eds A. J. Marsella, R. M. A. Hirschfeld & M. M. Katz). New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Kendell, R. E. (1968) The Classification of Depressive Illnesses, Maudsley Monographs no. 18. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kendell, R. E. & Discipio, W. J. (1968) Eysenck Personality Inventory scores of patients with depressive illness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 767770.Google Scholar
Kendell, R. E. & Discipio, W. J. (1970) Obsessional symptoms and obsessional personality traits in patients with depressive illness. Psychological Medicine, 1, 6572.Google Scholar
Kerr, T. A., Roth, M. & Schapira, K. (1974) Prediction of outcome of anxiety states and depressive illness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 125133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, A. S. & Murray, R. M. (1988) The long-term outcome of Maudsley depressives. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 741751.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, A. (1936) Melancolia. Prognostic study and case material. Journal of Mental Science, 82, 488558.Google Scholar
Martin, M. (1985) Neuroticism as predisposition towards depression: a cognitive mechanism. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 353365.Google Scholar
McGlashan, T. H. (1984) The Chestnut Lodge follow-up study I. Follow-up methodology and study sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 573585.Google Scholar
Monroe, S. M. & Steiner, S. C. (1986) Social support and psychopathology: interactions with pre-existing disorder, stress and personality. Journal of Abnormal Psychology; 95, 2939.Google Scholar
Myerson, A. (1936) Neuroses and neuropsychoses: the relationship between the symptom groups. American Journal of Psychiatry, 93, 263301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, G., Tennant, C. & Blignault, I. (1985) Predicting improvement in patients with non-endogenous depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 132139.Google Scholar
Paykel, E. S., Weissman, M. M., Prusoff, B. A., et al (1971) Dimensions of social adjustment. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 152, 158172.Google Scholar
Rosen, I. (1957) The clinical significance of obsessions in schizophrenia. Journal of Mental Science, 103, 773785.Google Scholar
Scott, J. (1988) Chronic depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 287297.Google Scholar
Shawcross, C. R. & Tyrer, P. (1985) Influence of personality on response to monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 19, 557562.Google Scholar
Shea, M. T., Glass, D. R., Pilkonis, P. A., et al (1987) Frequency and implications of personality disorders in a sample of depressed outpatients. Journal of Personality Disorders, 1, 2742.Google Scholar
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J. & Robins, E. (1978) Research diagnostic criteria: rationale and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 773782.Google Scholar
Weissman, M. M., Prusoff, B. A. & Klerman, G. L. (1978) Personality and the prediction of long-term outcome in depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 797800.Google ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.