ARE DEPENDENCY AND SELF-CRITICISM RISK-FACTORS FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Objective: To determine whether dependent and self-critical personalit y traits are associated with specific types of life events and whether these traits change with pharmacotherapy. Method: Overall, 142 depres sed outpatients completing 8 weeks of fluoxetine treatment were admini stered the Life Experiences Survey (LES) at baseline and the Dysfuncti onal Attitude Scale (DAS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) at baseline and endpoint. Results: The DAS dependency subscale, but no t the self-criticism subscale, showed significant correlations with li fe events regardless of congruency. Baseline HDRS scores were positive ly correlated with both DAS subscales and total score. The DAS subscal es, the total DAS score, and the HDRS all improved significantly with treatment. Conclusions: These results confirm a growing body of resear ch that has found an association between sociotropic or dependent pers onality traits and life events.