Personality traits predict current and future functioning comparably for individuals with major depressive and personality disorders

Abstract

Axes I and II were separated in DSM-III to encourage the consideration of the influence of both personality and psychopathology on patient behavior, on the assumption that an understanding of personality would increment syndromal diagnosis in treatment decisions. However, in practice the distinction between Axis I and Axis II is less clear. The current report investigates one aspect on which Axis I and Axis II might be expected to differ, that being the the significance of normative personality traits as an influence on functional status. In this study, the contribution of normative personality traits to functioning is presented for 2 groups of patients, one with major depression and a second with personality disorders. The data suggest that personality traits are significant and equally relevant predictors of functioning for both groups. The utility of assessing personality traits for individuals with both Axis I and II disorders is thus supported.