PERSONALITY-DIFFERENCES IN THE MUNICH-PERSONALITY-TEST BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION AND PANIC DISORDER

This study attempted to determine whether patients with major depressi on and panic disorder could be differentiated by personality features, measured by the Munich Personality Test (MPT). One oi the six MPT per sonality dimensions, 'rigidity' was developed in relation to the 'mela ncholic type of personality;', which may be a specific personality fea ture of depressive subjects. We therefore hypothesized that the MPT mi ght be sensitive to possible personality differences between patients with major depression and panic disorder. Sixty-six patients with majo r depression and 27 patients with panic disorder, taken from consecuti ve intakes at an outpatient unit, were compared in terms of six person ality dimensions of the MPT. The results demonstrated that rigidity co uld significantly differentiate the to patient groups, even after the possible confounding effects on the personality assessments were stati stically partialled out. The MPT was suggested to be powerful for desc ribing distinctive personality features oi depressive subjects from an xiety subjects.