Personality profiles of dysthymic disorder.

Abstract

The motivation for undertaking this study stems from the confusion that reigns in the literature regarding the relationship between personality, personality traits and dysthymic disorder. A large body of theorists ancl researchers still claim a definite association between dysthymia and personality. Their views arose to an extent from the concept of dysthymia as it developed through the past few decades. Dysthymia grew out of the concept of depressive neurosis which had a stronger basis in personality pathology. other terms like neurotic depression and depressive reaction preceded depressive neurosis. with the advent of DSM-III and DSM-III-R, dysthymia was moved from the neuroses to the mood disorders category. The DSM-IV Mood Disorders Work Group has also reinforced the classification of dysthymia with mood disorders. The Work Group has embarked on research to determine the symptomatology that should be used for the diagnosis of dysthymia. It is proposed that cognitive, functional and vegetative symptoms be included in DSM-IV to further entrench dysthymia as an affective disorder and extricate it from the personality disorders.