title: Temperament and personality in bipolar II disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is limited research examining temperament and personality in bipolar II disorder. We sought to determine any over-represented temperament and personality features in bipolar II disorder compared to other affective groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scores on a self-report measure of temperament and personality were examined in a sample of 443 participants diagnosed with unipolar, bipolar I and bipolar II disorder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for age, gender, age of depression onset and current depression severity, those with bipolar II disorder were characterized by higher irritability, anxious worrying, self-criticism and interpersonal sensitivity scores, and with lower social avoidance scores compared to unipolar participants. No differences were found between bipolar sub-types on any temperament and personality sub-scales. Limitations included the lack of a control group, a relatively small sample of bipolar I participants, and with the cross-sectional design disallowing conclusions regarding premorbid personality traits as opposed to illness 'scarring' effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research should seek to clarify whether certain temperament and personality styles are over-represented in bipolar II disorder. Any over-represented characteristics may assist with diagnostic differentiation from phenomenologically similar conditions and lead to more appropriate clinical management.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia. k.fletcher@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Howe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Synnott
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCraw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D013694:Temperament