Personality in depression: concordance between clinical assessment and questionnaires

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Vanggaard's concept of character neurosis offers a framework for understanding personality.
• Major depression is a common condition treated in general practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the concordance between Vanggaard's character neurosis classification and established personality questionnaires.
• To identify which personality scales best align with Vanggaard's concept in patients with major depression.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-three patients with major depression were interviewed and classified according to Vanggaard's concept.
• Patients completed three personality questionnaires: Marke-Nyman Temperament Scale, Cesarec-Marke Personality Scale, and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
• Statistical analysis was used to determine concordance between Vanggaard's classification and questionnaire results.

Main Results:

• Vanggaard classified 57 patients as without character neurosis and 16 as having character neurosis.
• Eysenck's Neuroticism scale showed significant correspondence with Vanggaard's classification.
• The Acquiescence and Autonomy scales were also found to be important in this context.

Conclusions:

• Eysenck's Neuroticism scale is a relevant measure for assessing Vanggaard's concept of character neurosis in depressed patients.
• Further research is needed to explore the predictive validity of these personality subscales.