title: [Symptoms and personality traits of East and West German psychotherapy patients with anxiety and depressive disorders].
abstract: The aim of this study is to explore symptoms and personality traits of patients from two Psychosomatic University Departments, one in Düsseldorf (West Germany) and the other in Magdeburg (East Germany), suffering from anxiety disorders and depression. 560 unselected outpatients with anxiety disorders and depression were examined with the Symptom-Checklist (SCL-90-R) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-D). The ratio of these two diagnostic groups in relation to the total number of outpatients in both clinics was analysed. The results show a higher rate of Anxiety disorders in the East German group and a higher rate of depressed patients in the West German group. Both diagnostic groups differ in certain scales of SCL-90-R and IIP-D. These profiles are mainly stable against cultural (East-West) influences. The SCL-90-R and IIP-D should be used to develop diagnostic profiles of the discussed syndromes. Social and cultural influences of patients' self ratings should be taken into account.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Medizinische Fakultät der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg. joerg.frommer@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frommer
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hartkamp
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tress
authors.forename: Gabriele Helga
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Franke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005859:Germany, East; D005860:Germany, West; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales