The construct validity of depressive personality disorder.

Abstract

This study examined the construct validity of depressive personality disorder (DPD: American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Adult psychiatric outpatients (N = 900) underwent comprehensive Axis I and II evaluations and provided data on 4,768 of their 1st-degree relatives. Despite modest overlap, DPD was not redundant with any Axis I or II disorder. Participants with DPD exhibited more Axis I and Axis II comorbidity, and greater psychosocial dysfunction, than participants without DPD. Relatives of participants with DPD had higher rates of mood disorders, alcohol abuse, and antisocial personality. Results are consistent with findings of several other similar investigations. The authors argue that DPD is a valid construct and should be conceptualized as a personality disorder as opposed to a mood disorder.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Co-Occurrence of Depressive Personality Disorder and DSM-IV Personality Disorders

“…The highest correlations (>.50) were seen with avoidant, dependent, and borderline PD. This finding is in line with several other studies (Huprich, 2004;Huprich et al, 2006;Klein & Shih,1998;Markowitz et al, 2005;McDermut et al, 2003), including one that used Pearson's correlations (Huprich, 2004). Huprich found that DPD correlated positively and significantly with all PDs except antisocial, histrionic, and obsessive-compulsive PD.…”

“…Several studies addressing diagnostic overlap have been published, both with regard to mood disorders (Klein & Miller, 1993;Klein & Shih, 1998;McDermut, Zimmerman, & Chelminski, 2003;Ryder, Bagby, & Dion, 2001;Ryder, Bagby, & Schuller, 2002) and PDs (Huprich, 2004;Huprich, Zimmerman, & Chelminski, 2006;Klein & Shih, 1998; © 2012 The Guilford Press Address correspondence to Dr. Ragnhild E. Ørstavik, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Box 4404, Nydalen N-0403, Oslo, Norway; ragnhild.orstavik@fhi.no. This article was accepted under the editorship of Paul S. Links.…”

“…This article was accepted under the editorship of Paul S. Links. Markowitz et al, 2005;McDermut et al, 2003), where there is evidence for substantial cooccurrence between DPD and borderline PD in Cluster B and the three Cluster C PDs (for review, see Huprich, 2009). …”

A case of depressive personality disorder: Aligning theory, practice, and clinical research.

“…Because there are no current conventions for determining rates of acceptable overlap, some have concluded that DPD fits within the broader conceptual space of the DD category (Bagby, Ryder, & Schuller, 2003), while others have determined DPD is a valid construct on its own (McDermut et al, 2003). The construct validity of DPD has now been extensively evaluated (see Huprich, 2009 for review), and there appears to be consensus that DPD and DD are, in fact, two separate clinical disorders.…”

“…Large-scale studies examining rates of comorbidity between DPD and MDD or DD have generally shown about 50% overlap between disorders in clinical and nonclinical samples (Hirschfeld & Holzer, 1994;Markowitz et al, 2005;McDermut, Zimmerman, & Chelminski, 2003;Ørstavik, Kendler, Czajkowski, Tambs, & Reichborn-Kjennerud, 2007a). Because there are no current conventions for determining rates of acceptable overlap, some have concluded that DPD fits within the broader conceptual space of the DD category (Bagby, Ryder, & Schuller, 2003), while others have determined DPD is a valid construct on its own (McDermut et al, 2003).…”