Increased personality disorders and Axis I comorbidity in atypical depression.
OBJECTIVE
Comparison of patients with and without atypical depression on comorbid Axis I and I disorders to determine whether atypical depression is associated with a higher comorbidity.


METHODS
Twenty-nine major depressive disorder patients with and without atypical depression were compared on clinical measures using multiple regression analyses.


RESULTS
Atypical depression predicted the presence of comorbid Axis I (100% vs 33%), Axis II (90% vs 35%), and both Axis I and II (65% vs 8.14%) disorders. Personality disorders did not mediate the relationship between atypical depression and Axis I comorbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of Axis I and II comorbidity in major depression may be explained, at least in part, by the presence of atypical depression. Our findings also suggest that the increased Axis I comorbidity observed in atypical depression is independent of the effects of personality disorders and is probably a direct effect of atypical depression subtype. Future research should confirm whether clinical findings associated with atypical depression are independent of their association with personality disorders in a larger sample of depressed patients and also examine treatment implications in atypical depression other than a preferential monoamine oxidase inhibitor responsivity.
McGinn
Lata K
LK
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. lmcginn@aecom.yu.edu
Asnis
Gregory M
GM
Suchday
Sonia
S
Kaplan
Margaret
M
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis