Personality traits of patients with anxiety neurosis

A total of 104 psychiatric outpatients diagnosed as anxiety neurosis according to Feighner's Diagnostic Criteria was investigated pre- and/or after illness by using a personality trait checklist designed for this study. The seven traits that appeared most frequently in patient clinical records were chosen for a further study: readily concerned; strong sense of responsibility; social; considerate; impatient; dependent; introspective. The investigation revealed that the frequencies of the "social" and "strong sense of responsibility" traits were conspicuously low, while the "dependent" trait was conspicuously high in the after illness trait profile compared to the premorbid profile. As for the premorbid personality traits and recoveries, the poor recovery group showed a relatively low "considerate" trait and a conspicuously high "impatient" trait profile.