HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ALL ISSUES SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Devanand, D.P. Articles by Roose, S. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Devanand, D.P. Articles by Roose, S. P.

Personality Disorders in Elderly Patients With Dysthymic Disorder

Received June 7, 1999; revised August 12, 1999; accepted October 4, 1999. From the Late-Life Depression Clinic and the Departments of Biological Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York. Address correspondence to Dr. Devanand, Department of Biological Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 722 West 168th Street, Unit 72, New York, NY 10032.

The authors evaluated personality disorders in elderly patients with DSM-IV dysthymic disorder (DD) to identify prevalent personality disorders and their clinical correlates. Outpatients (60 years; N=76) with DD were evaluated; most were male (65.8%) and had late age at onset (>50 years: 60.5%). Axis II disorders were present in 31.2% of patients, with obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCD; 17.1%) and avoidant personality disorder (11.8%) being the most common. Personality disorders were associated with an earlier age at onset of depressive illness, greater lifetime history of comorbid Axis I disorders, greater severity of depressive symptoms, and lower socioeconomic status. Personality disorders occurred in a minority of elderly patients with DD and mainly comprised the obsessive–compulsive and avoidant subtypes, similar to reports of personality disorders in elderly patients with major depression. In contrast, young adults with DD have been shown consistently to have personality disorders at high frequency. Together with the predominance of late onset and the lack of psychiatric comorbidity, the current findings on personality disorders reinforce our view that DD in elderly patients is typically a different disorder from DD in young adults.

Key Words: Personality Disorder • Dysthymic Disorder • Depression

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. F. Hybels, C. F. Pieper, D. G. Blazer, and D. C. Steffens The Course of Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults With Comorbid Major Depression and Dysthymia Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, April 1, 2008; 16(4): 300 - 309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Mordekar and S. A. Spence Personality disorder in older people: how common is it and what can be done? Advan. Psychiatr. Treat., January 1, 2008; 14(1): 71 - 77. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D.P. Devanand, M. S. Nobler, J. Cheng, N. Turret, G. H. Pelton, S. P. Roose, and H. A. Sackeim Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Fluoxetine Treatment for Elderly Patients With Dysthymic Disorder Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, January 1, 2005; 13(1): 59 - 68. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. P. Devanand, N. Juszczak, M. S. Nobler, N. Turret, L. Fitzsimons, H. A. Sackeim, and S. P. Roose An Open Treatment Trial of Venlafaxine for Elderly Patients With Dysthymic Disorder J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, December 1, 2004; 17(4): 219 - 224. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D.P. Devanand, M. K. Kim, N. Paykina, and H. A. Sackeim Adverse Life Events in Elderly Patients With Major Depression or Dysthymic Disorder and in Healthy-Control Subjects Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, June 1, 2002; 10(3): 265 - 274. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]