Temperament and character in patients with bipolar II disorder and recurrent brief depression.
OBJECTIVE
We compared the temperament and character profiles of 21 patients with bipolar II disorder, 40 patients with recurrent brief depression (RBD; at least monthly depressive episodes meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depressive episode except for duration that is less than 2 weeks, typically 2-3 days, without fixed relation to menstrual cycle) of which 21 had no history of hypomania and 19 had experienced hypomanic episodes, and 21 age- and sex-matched controls.


METHODS
Assessments included the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, Hypomania Checklist, and Temperament and Character Inventory-125. Patients with cluster A and B personality disorders were excluded.


RESULTS
Bipolar II and RBD patients had higher harm avoidance (HA) and lower self-directedness (SD) compared with controls. Excluding panic disorder comorbidity effaced this difference in HA and SD (bipolar II only) and harm avoidance. No other differences were found.


CONCLUSIONS
In this first study comparing personality profiles of patients with bipolar II vs RBD, when controlling for confounders, neither bipolar II nor RBD patients differed significantly from healthy controls. The lower SD scores among RBD patients may reflect sampling bias (a higher rate of Axis 2 cluster C disorders).
Lövdahl
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Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. hans.lovdahl@sshf.no
Bøen
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Falkum
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Hynnekleiv
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D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012008:Recurrence; D012016:Reference Values; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013694:Temperament