Temperament and Character in Euthymic Bipolar I Patients with or without Psychotic Features / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to exam whether personality, i.e. temperament and character, has an association with a previous presence of psychotic features in euthymic bipolar I disorder. METHODS: We recruited 25 psychotic patients with bipolar I disorder, 23 non-psychotic bipolar I patients and 48 normal controls. All subjects were asked to perform Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Euthymic state was defined in bipolar patients by scores of below 10 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and on the Young Manic Rating Scale (YMRS). RESULTS: Psychotic bipolar patients, compared to normal controls, showed higher harm avoidance (HA) and self-transcendence (ST). In addition, HA in psychotic bipolar patients was higher than that in non-psychotic bipolar patients. However, no significant differences on TCI were demonstrated between non-psychotic patients and normal controls. CONCLUSION: There are significant discrepancies in personality between psychotic and non-psychotic bipolar patients on HA and ST. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a continuum between bipolar disorder with psychotic features and psychotic disorders.

Temperament and Character Inventory and Remission State of Depression / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: There are many studies that assessed the relationship between Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) on depression, and the relationship between depression and personality trait has been debated for many years. In this study, the relationship between the TCI and remission state of depression in respect to personality trait was examined. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 50 patients who have been diagnosed as major depressive disorder by DSM-IV. Depressed patients' Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) scores were over 18 and those in remission were HAM-D score lower than 8. The 50 depressed subjects and 50 healthy controls were asked to complete the TCI. RESULTS: The depressed patients in remission exhibited higher harm avoidance and lower persistence scores compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the trait dependence of the harm avoidance dimension.