title: Trait and state aspects of harm avoidance and its implication for treatment in major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and depressive personality disorder.
abstract: The authors evaluated the trait/state issues of harm avoidance in depressive-spectrum disorders and its predictive potential for antidepressant response. Subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn; DSM-IV) major depressive disorder (n = 39), dysthymic disorder (n = 37), depressive personality disorder (n = 39), and healthy control subjects (n = 40) were evaluated with the Temperament and Character Inventory and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) at baseline and after a 12 week antidepressant treatment period. Higher harm avoidance scores predicted lesser improvement in subjects with dysthymic disorder and major depressive disorder, as determined by lesser decrease in HDRS-17 scores. Mean harm avoidance scores in depressed subjects were consistently greater than those in healthy controls, controlling for age, gender and diagnosis. Mean harm avoidance scores decreased significantly in all depressive-spectrum disorders after treatment, but still remained higher than harm avoidance scores in control subjects. The present study reports that harm avoidance is a reliable predictor of antidepressant treatment in subjects with major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder and that harm avoidance is both trait- and state-dependent in depressive-spectrum disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kelley Yost
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Sook Kyeong
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yune
authors.forename: Seog Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hong Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Soo Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jaeuk
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Kyung Jin
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Kyoon
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Lyoo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012201:Reward; D018401:Sample Size
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents