DSM-III-R PERSONALITY-DISORDERS AMONG PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE AND ORANXIETY DISORDERS

A sample of 223 psychiatric outpatients with diagnoses according to DS M-III-R criteria of depressive (major depression or dysthymia) and/or anxiety disorders was divided into three subsamples: depressive disord ers (N = 100), depressive disorders in combination with anxiety disord ers (N = 49), and pure anxiety disorders (N = 74). The combined anxiet y-depressive (CAD) group manifested a statistically significantly high er frequency of ''any'' personality disorder, paranoid personality dis order (PD), and borderline PD, and also had significantly higher score s on the majority of the clinical scales and on some of the research s cales of the MMPI, compared to the two other groups. The presence of a n additional diagnosis of a personality disorder was related to signif icantly higher scores on almost all the MMPI clinical and research sca les and that was the case for the total sample and for the three subsa mples, as well. The findings of the present study imply that: (1) A co ncomitant diagnosis of a personality disorder (Axis II) in patients wi th depressive and/or anxiety disorders (Axis I) is related to more sev ere psychopathology, as measured by the MMPI. This underscores the imp ortance of personality assessment in the evaluation of the above syndr omes in clinical practice. (2) The CAD group appeared to be the more d eviant, with a higher rate and more severe personality disorders, and also with greater psychopathological loading, as measured by the MMPI. Therefore it is important these cases be distinguished in both clinic al and research practice, and that special attention be paid to the in teraction between anxiety, depression, and personality disorder.