Personality disorder scores improve with effective pharmacotherapy of depression

Introduction: We hypothesized that the probability of personality disorder ('PROB') predicted by the Temperament and Character Inventory ('TCI') would decline after successful pharmacotherapy of depression. Methods: We administered a computerized version of the TCI to 15 patients with DSM-III-R major depression, before and after treatment with serotonergic antidepressants. Results: PROB declined from 58.9%+/-18.0% to 42.4%+/-22.8% (P<0.003), due to a significant increase in the Self-Directedness scale. This change in PROB correlated with improvement in self-rated severity of depression (P<0.02). Conclusion: TCI prediction of personality disorder is susceptible to state effects of depression. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.