James Reich

EFFECT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS ON OUTCOME OF TREATMENT

Although many clinicians have long believed that personality pathology may interfere with the effectiveness of treatment of axis I disorders, until recently there were no empirical studies on the subject. This report reviews the recent literature with regard to the following questions: a) Does personality pathology predict negative outcome of treatment for axis I disorders? b) If so, are there specific personality traits or disorders that account for such a negative outcome? The literature review reveals a robust finding that patients with personality pathology have a poorer response to treatment of axis I disorders than those without such pathology. Specific axis I disorders reported on include DSM-III major depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both inpatients and outpatients have been studied. There is too little literature to determine whether certain pathological personality traits are especially important, but there is enough to provide methodological guidance for future studies. Such studies should use standardized measures of personality and outcome, should match personality and nonpersonality groups on severity of the axis I disorder, and should be certain that axis I diagnoses are not confounded by axis II symptoms.

Effect of Personality Disorders on the Treatment Outcome of Axis I Conditions: An Update

The authors review recent studies that assess the impact of personality pathology on the treatment outcomes of axis I disorders. Studies reported include both structured treatment trials and surveys of the outcome of naturalistic treatment. Personality diagnosis in each of the studies reviewed was established by a structured diagnostic instrument. In some of the studies examined, personality traits, not categorical personality diagnoses, are reported in relation to treatment outcome. The authors describe 17 studies published within the past 3 years, and discuss them in relation to a previous review that covered 21 earlier studies. Consistent with previous investigations, recent studies continue to describe an adverse impact of personality pathology on the treatment outcome of a wide range of axis I disorders. The authors examine new studies that describe the effect of specific aspects of personality dysfunction on outcome measures of axis I disorders. New developments in this area include the predictive importance of both personality traits and disorders as well as possible specificity of traits in predicting outcome in some circumstances.

A prospective follow-along study of the course of social phobia

The goals of this study were to delineate the courses of social phobia and to determine whether the course of generalized and specific social phobia differed. In the Harvard/Brown Longitudinal Study of Anxiety Research Project, 66 specific and 74 generalized social phobic subjects were identified for whom adequate course data were available. These subjects had been followed prospectively with a standardized follow-along measure of psychopathology. The probability of remission was calculated for each individual group and both groups combined. Demographics were the same for both groups except that the specific social phobia group had a marginally higher mean score on the Global Assessment Scale. Complete remission for the combined group was not different from that for either subgroup and was 0.11 at 65 weeks. Social phobia appears to be a disorder with considerable long-term morbidity. Surprisingly, both subtypes took a comparably long time to remit and were similar in their high level of psychosocial dysfunction.

Panic, agoraphobia, and panic disorder with agoraphobia. Data from a multicenter anxiety disorders study.

In a cross-sectional investigation of the properties of DSM-III-R panic disorder (PD), panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA), and agoraphobia without history of panic disorder (AWOPD), we analyzed demographic, descriptive, comorbidity, treatment, and course data for 562 subjects with PD, PDA, or AWOPD in a multicenter anxiety-disorders study. In general, AWOPD subjects had the worst functioning and PD subjects the best, as measured by length of intake episodes, education attained, likelihood of receiving financial assistance, depressive comorbidity, and likelihood of having experienced 8 weeks symptom-free. Panic disorder with agoraphobia was the most common disorder and emerged as a condition intermediate in severity between the other two. Treatments received varied little by diagnosis. Most subjects received medication, usually benzodiazepines. Psychodynamic psychotherapy was the most frequently received psychosocial treatment; cognitive and behavioral approaches were less common. Subjects classified with AWOPD were the most likely to have received exposure therapies.

The Epidemiology of Anxiety

In a literature review the best estimates for prevalence of anxiety disorders were determined to be 3% for panic, 6% for agoraphobia, 3% for generalized anxiety, 2.5% for simple phobia, and 1.5% for social phobia. Anxiety disorders tended to have a 2:1 female preponderance. Age of onset was 17 years for social and simple phobia, 22 years for generalized anxiety, and 26 years for panic and agoraphobia. Simple phobia was found to respond best to behavioral treatment and to have a good prognosis. Panic and agoraphobia were found to be familial, to have a chronic course, and to respond best to a combination of pharmacological and behavioral treatment.

Comorbidity of panic and major depressive disorder

The objective of this report is to determine whether those patients with panic disorder who have current major depression disorder (MDD) differ from those who do not in terms of demographics, comorbid disorders, severity of illness, nature of symptoms of panic attacks and psychosocial functioning. The sample consisted of 182 patients with current or history of panic disorder measured by standardized interview techniques. For analysis these patients were then divided by presence or absence of current MDD. The two groups were not different in age, sex, or marital status, age of onset, or symptom characteristics of panic attacks. However, patients with MDD were more likely to have Social Phobia and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, been hospitalized, made suicide attempts or gestures, have poorer psychosocial functioning, and currently be experiencing panic with more severe symptoms. These findings are discussed in terms of previous literature in the area.

Effect of DSM-III personality disorders on outcome of tricyclic antidepressant-treated nonpsychotic outpatients with major or minor depressive disorder

This is the first outcome report of the effect of a personality disorder on nonhospitalized major depressive patients that used a standardized DSM-III measure and did not prescreen to eliminate certain personality disorders. Six-month outcome was compared for nonpsychotic patients with major depression and a DSM-III personality disorder (n = 26) and those who did not have a personality disorder (n = 11). Patients without a personality disorder had significantly better outcome as measured by the Global Assessment Scale and employment status. There was also a trend for less physician utilization in this group.

Frequency of DSM-III personality disorders in patients with panic disorder: comparison with psychiatric and normal control subjects.

Three clinical populations--panic disorder (n = 88), randomly selected outpatients (n = 82), and normal control subjects (n = 40)--were compared on three standardized DSM-III personality disorder instruments, the Structured Interview for DSM-III Personality Disorders (SIDP), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI), and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ). Significant differences were consistently found in presence of any personality disorder and DSM-III Cluster C (there were always more disorders in the outpatients). Logistic regression analysis revealed the important determinants predicting personality disorders, and therefore of differences between groups, were state depression, age, lifetime history of alcohol abuse, and presence of panic disorder.

Comparison of Personality Disorders in Different Anxiety Disorder Diagnoses: Panic, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety, and Social Phobia

Recently there has been increasing interest in the relationship of the personality and the anxiety disorders. This paper presents comorbidity findings between DSM-III-R personality pathology and several DSM-III-R anxiety disorders and makes direct comparisons between anxiety groups. This is the most extensive comparison of this kind reported thus far. This report is on the first 475 anxiety patients who were recruited from multiple sites to take part in a naturalistic study of anxiety. All had a DSM-III-R diagnosis of panic, agoraphobia, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Previous studies which found a high comorbidity between the anxiety and the personality pathology were confirmed, with a significantly higher prevalence of personality pathology occurring with social phobia and GAD. Among our patients, all of whom had anxiety disorders, the presence of comorbid major depression is associated with an increase in the levels of comorbid personality pathology--as previously described in the literature. The relationship between low social functioning and the presence of personality pathology was confirmed, however, the relationship appears to be specific to certain areas of functioning, a new finding. There is a clinically important relationship between Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised personality pathology and the anxiety disorders characterized by different prevalences of personality disorders in different anxiety disorders and specific areas of social dysfunction.

A prospective, follow-along study of the course of social phobia: II. Testing for basic predictors of course.

This study examined the 65-week outcome of a group of subjects with social phobia to determine predictors of course. Social phobic patients in the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Disorders Research Project study were followed for 65 weeks using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation-UpJohn scale. The following variables did not predict outcome over the course of the study: sex, age of onset, duration of illness, lifetime history of various anxiety disorders, current comorbidity of anxiety or depressive disorders, Global Assessment Scale score, or measures of role functioning. We find that in a social phobic population with a mean duration of illness of 18 years, none of the tested variables examined predicted 65- week outcome.