Relation between informant-rated personality and clinician-rated depression in patients with memory disorders

The goal of this study was to examine the convergent validity of informant-rated changes in depressive and related personality traits with clinician-assessed depression in memory-disordered patients.

Depressive symptoms are frequent complications in persons with dementias such as Alzheimer disease, and caregiver informants consistently report changes in depression and related neurotic traits on the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) in dementia patients.

In 78 patients undergoing evaluation of memory complaints at an Alzheimer disease clinic, depression was characterized by clinical diagnosis, a clinician-rated scale, and informant ratings of premorbid versus current depression, anxiety, vulnerability, and neuroticism on the NEO-PI.

The diagnostic groups differed in meaningful patterns on the NEO-PI measures. Those with a diagnosis of major depression differed from never-depressed patients in all personality areas, although those with depressed mood differed only on NEO-PI depression. The clinician-rated depression scale correlated modestly with current personality and change from baseline personality.

The NEO-PI provides a useful measure of informants' perspectives on depressive personality changes in patients with memory disorders but does not correspond fully with a clinical syndrome of depression.