Personality disorders in dysthymia and major depression

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the comorbid ity of personality disorders in patients with primary dysthymia compared to those with episodic major depression. Method: A total of 177 out-patients with primary dysthymia and 187 outpatie nts with episodic major depression were administered a structured diagnosti c interview for DSM-III-R Axis II disorders. In addition, all of these pati ents completed the BDI, and those with the appropriate level of education a lso completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results: A significantly higher proportion of dysthymic patients than patie nts with major depression met the criteria for a personality disorder, for borderline, histrionic, avoidant, dependent, self-defeating types and for p ersonality disorders of clusters B and C, Further analysis revealed that th e above differences were mainly due to the subgroup of patients with 'early -onset dysthymia'. Finally, patients with a personality disorder, both dyst hymics and those with major depression, had significantly higher scores on the BDI and on the majority of the MMPI scales compared to those without a personality disorder. Conclusion: The data indicated that (i) dysthymia - mainly that of early on set - is associated with significantly higher personality disorder comorbid ity than episodic major depression, and (ii) the presence of a personality disorder is related to more severe overall psychopathology.