title: Family history of DSM-III-R dramatic personality disorder cluster and functioning in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: Clinicians and researchers have noted that personality dysfunction related to borderline personality significantly predicts a poorer course in major depressive disorder. There is also some evidence that some aspects of personality are heritable. The goal of this report was to determine whether family history of dramatic personality disorder cluster indicated differences in functioning in patients with major depressive disorder. Patients with major depression were divided into two groups: those with a family history of dramatic personality disorder cluster (N = 49) and those without (N = 22). These were the clinical groups. A screened normal group was also added to determine how far the clinical groups differed from ordinary functioning (N = 31). Compared with the other clinical group, the group with the family history of dramatic personality disorder tended, in general, to have fewer personality traits as measured by the Personality Disorder Examination, similar Hamilton Anxiety and Depression scores and several significantly better functioning measures. It appears that a family history of dramatic personality disorder cluster identifies a group with different, but not necessarily lower, levels of functioning. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reich
mesh_terms: D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales