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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats
Published on: February 22, 2018
Personality disorder and the outcome of depression: meta-analysis of published studies
Giles Newton-Howes1, Peter Tyrer, Tony Johnson
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Imperial College London, St Dunstan's Road, London W6 8RP, UK.
Background:
There is conflicting evidence about the influence of personality disorder on outcome in depressive disorders.
Aims:
Meta-analysis of studies in which a categorical assessment of personality disorder or no personality disorder was made in people with depressive disorders, and categorical outcome (recovered/not recovered) also determined.
Method:
Systematic electronic search of the literature for relevant publications. Hand searches of Journal of Affective Disorders and recent reviews, with subsequent meta-analysis of selected studies.
Results:
Comorbid personality disorder with depression was associated with a doubling of the risk of a poor outcome for depression compared with no personality disorder (random effects model OR=2.18, 95% CI 1.70-2.80), a robust finding maintained with only Hamilton-type depression criteria at outcome (OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.61-3.01). All treatments apart from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) showed this poor outcome, and the ECT group was small.
Conclusions:
Combined depression and personality disorder is associated with a poorer outcome than depression alone.
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