Preliminary communication Are personality disorders more frequent in early onset geriatric depression

This preliminary study evaluates the prevalence of personality disorders (PD) in a sample of 37 elderly recovered depressed and non-demented patients, using the French version of the Vragenlijst voor Kenmezken van de Persoonlijkheid (VKP) or Questionnaire on Personality Traits (QPT). The prevalence of definite personality disorder was 65% with predominance of Cluster C and particularly dependent and avoidant PD. The rate of PDs was higher in early onset (73%) than in late onset (45%) geriatric depression, even though there is only a trend towards statistical significance (Chi square 5 2.588, p 5 0.107). These results are consistent with those of previous reports using different PD assessment methods, supporting evidence that the QPT could be useful in PD assessment of elderly French speaking patients. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.