[Cyclothymia and typus melancholicus: empirical study on personality character of mood disorder]

1. To investigate whether depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic and irritable temperaments as identified by TEMPS-A are characteristic to monopolar or bipolar disorder. 2. To investigate the independency and to discuss the clinical validity of the temperaments. 3. To replicate the previous studies whether Typus Melancholicus is characteristic to monopolar disorder. 4. To investigate the relationship between Typus Melancholicus and mood dysregulation, and the relationship, if any, is characteristically observed with monopolar disorder. 5. To discuss the difference between monopolar and bipolar disorder in terms of personality character.

Monopolar and bipolar groups were recruited consecutively from the patients who received outpatient treatment at Kanto Medical Center between September and November, 2001. The age is between 18 and 60. The exclusion criteria were psychotic disorder, organic disorder, grave physical illness and non-remitted mood symptoms (HRSD > 11 and MRS > 13). Control group was selected from 1391 company employees who participated in TEMPS-A research project between May 2001 and May 2002, matching gender and age with monopolar and bipolar groups. The exclusion criterion was marked depressive symptom (CES-D > 16).

The statistical analyses were done with Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni's correction regarding the difference among the groups. Spearman coefficients were examined regarding the independency of temperaments. The relationship between Typus Melancholicus and mood dysregulation was examined by mono-regression analysis.

Depressive and cyclothymic temperaments scores did not differ significantly between monopolar and bipolar. These scores were significantly higher in monopolar and bipolar than in control. Therefore, these temperaments are evidenced to be characteristic with mood disorder. But between monopolar and bipolar there was no significant difference. Irritable temperament score did not differ significantly among the three groups. This score showed a highly significant correlation with cyclothymic and depressive temperaments. Irritable temperament seems closely related with the personality character of mood disorder, however this temperament itself was not characteristic. Hyperthymic temperament score was mildly significantly lower in bipolar than in control. There was no other significant inter-group difference. This temperament hardly showed a correlation with other temperaments. Though hyperthymic temperament may be hypothesized characteristic with manic patients, the result did not support this hypothesis. Typus Melancholicus score did not differ significantly among three groups. This result contradicts with a number of previous studies. It seems that the prevalence of Typus Melancholicus among the groups should be further investigated. Typus Melancholicus showed a mild correlation with depressive temperament in monopolar and with depressive, cyclothymic and irritable and temperaments in bipolar. Regarding mono-regression analysis, no temperament predicted Typus Melancholicus formation in monopolar. Depressive, cyclothymic and irritable temperaments predicted significantly in bipolar. In control group, hyperthymic temperament predicted midly significantly, but the prediction rate was as small as 7%. These results seem to support the theories of Shimoda and Matussek that Typus Melancholicus characters are related with bipolar disorder. Between monopolar and bipolar, there was not much significant difference in terms of personality characteristics. This seems to suggest no marked personality character difference between these groups and supports Akiskal's concept of Bipolar Spectrum.

1. Depressive and Cyclothymic temperaments are characteristic with mood disorder. 2. Hyperthymic temperament is independent, but not characteristic with mood disorder. 3. Irritable temperament may be modifying the personality character of mood disorder. 4. Typus Melancholicus was not characteristic to monopolar disorder. 5. Significant relationship between Typus Melancholicus and mood dysregulation was observed in bipolar group. 6. There seems no substantial difference between monopolar and bipolar disorders in terms of personality character.