Personality Traits in Patients with Panic Disorder According to the Presence of Agoraphobia

Abstract

Background: Personality characteristics, health status, clinical course and prognosis of patients with panic disorder affect pharmacological and psychological treatment of these patients. The purpose of this study was to study personality patterns of patients with panic disorder (PD) by grouping them according to an important condition, that is, agoraphobia. Objectives: As little data exists in the filed of personality profiles and it's potential impact on the course of panic disorder, we conducted the study in an Iranian population in Tabriz city during 2015 - 2016. Methods: A total of 120 patients with panic disorder were selected and evaluated using psychiatric interviews, as well as NEO Five-Factor Inventory and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI). Results: From 96 patients who completed the study, 10.42% were diagnosed to have panic disorder with agoraphobia. The mean age of the patients was 35.12 ± 9.50 years old. The most common comorbid psychiatric condition was major depressive disorder in both groups of with and without agoraphobia. None of the patients exceeded from the cutoff point described for MCMI. Patients with agoraphobia scored higher in borderline personality, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress scales. Patients without agoraphobia had higher scores for narcissistic personality. There was no significant difference in scores of NEO-FFI with regard to the presence of agoraphobia, and all the patients scored high in agreeableness and conscientiousness. Conclusions: Despite comparable scores of NEO between PD patients with and without agoraphobia, they scored significantly different in MCMI for borderline and narcissistic personalities, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.