Basic character inventory personality traits among patients with major depression, anxiety disorders and mixed conditions

Abstract

Two hundred and seventy-two mainly nonpsychotic psychiatric outpatients between 19 and 59 years of age were divided into various clinical groups according to DSM-III: pure major depression, major depression in combination with various anxiety disorders, pure anxiety disorders and a group with other mental disorders. The groups were compared as to differences in personality traits assessed by means of the Basic Character Inventory. The mixed major depression/non-panic anxiety disorder group appeared to be the most deviant with more oral-neurotic personality traits in addition to obsessive traits, while the pure major depressive disorder and the pure anxiety disorder group were less disturbed. Especially cases with non-panic-anxiety features in addition to major depression were those which manifested a neurotic obsessive personality structure. These findings imply that it is important to distinguish between major depression cases with and without various anxiety disorders.