title: Clinical course and personality in reactive, compared with nonreactive, delusional disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reactive delusional disorder (DD) (with a precipitating factor) has been postulated to differ clinically from nonreactive DD and to show a better prognosis. Our study tests this hypothesis in a sample of patients with persistent DD (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) or DD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) followed during a period of more than 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a long-term study on DD, 19 patients with DD and a stressful life event preceding the onset of the disorder were compared with 24 DD patients without such a life event. Diagnoses, social and biographical data, life events, and outcome were assessed by a semistructured interview and validated rating scales. Personality features were assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and by the Inventory of Clinical Personality Accentuations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with reactive DD tended to be somewhat younger but showed otherwise little differences to patients with nonreactive DD. In particular, there were no differences in the course of the disorder. However, patients with reactive DD were significantly more often in a stable relationship and showed higher values on neuroticism and more pronounced dependent and borderline personality accentuations in dimensional personality measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reactive DD was not found to have a better prognosis than nonreactive DD. However, the results suggest an increased vulnerability for interpersonal conflicts in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany. frank.pillmann@medizin.uni-halle.de
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pillmann
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wustmann
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marneros
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy