Common personality features in neurotic disorder

The personality characteristics of 77 patients seen in general practice with a Catego diagnosis of anxiety state (including phobic state) or depressive neurosis derived from the Present State Examination were compared with those in 77 normal subjects chosen at random from the list of the same general practitioner. Each patient was matched with a normal subject of the same age and sex. The personality characteristics were rated using the Personality Assessment Schedule, an interview schedule designed to elicit the premorbid personality of the subject. The neurotic patients had significantly higher scores for the personality characteristics of anxiousness, vulnerability, resourcelessness, hypochondriasis and other features commonly described as oral and hysterical. Schizoid features were absent in the neurotic group. The results suggest that there are common personality attributes in neurotic disorder and that these have clinical significance.