Personality disorders and depression in community-dwelling older adults

This study examined the prevalence and nature of 13 personality disorders and the relationship between personality disorder and depression among community-dwelling elderly without a history of psychiatric hospitalization (N = 189, males = 57, females = 132; age range = 55-96; mean = 76.2). Participants recruited from senior centers completed the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire- Revised (PDQ-R; Hyler and Reider, 1987) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; Yesavage et al., 1983). Results indicated that 37% of respondents did not meet full criteria for any personality disorder, 63% of respondents received at least one personality disorder diagnosis, and 42% fulfilled criteria for two or more diagnoses. Most frequent diagnoses were paranoid (40%), histrionic (32%), narcissistic (22%), borderline (22%), and avoidant (16%) disorders. There was a strong positive relationship between self-reported levels of depression and summed positive personality disorder criteria. Multiple regression revealed that borderline, paranoid, and passive-aggressive disorders were the strongest predictors of depression, while histrionic personality disorder was significantly negatively related to depression. Possible explanations for the high prevalence rates for personality disturbances are discussed, and implications for research and clinical practice are provided.