Comorbidity of personality disorders and major depression in patients with somatoform pain disorders or medical illnesses with long-standing work disability.
The comorbidity between major depression and personality disorders in patients with long-standing work disability at a rehabilitation clinic was investigated. Sixty patients with a somatoform pain disorder and 66 patients with different medical illnesses were assessed by means of a self rating scale for major depression, and the SCID screen personality disorder questionnaire. In the total series, 27% of the patients had a diagnosis of major depression and 34.9% had at least one personality disorder. Personality disorders were significantly more common in patients with medical illness than in patients with a somatoform pain disorder. There was a high frequency of comorbidity between major depression and personality disorders, especially borderline and avoidant personality disorders. If this is due to a common pathogenetic mechanism, it could explain why SSRIs are effective in both depression and some personality disorders.
Ekselius
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden.
Eriksson
M
M
von Knorring
L
L
Linder
J
J
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000150:complications*