Does Major Depression Generate Personality Disorder?

Assessing personality and its disorders during episodes of major depression is problematic because the mood disturbance might distort personality features. As part of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, which focused on patients with schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, investigators ascertained the extent to which personality disturbances in patients with depression reflect enduring “traits” rather than “state” phenomena. The researchers evaluated personality disorder symptoms and temperament at baseline and longitudinally in 433 participants for whom 6 years of data were available.

At baseline, 119 participants had personality disorders without depression, 73 had depressi…